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    1. KuroTenshi 10 yrs ago

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>FAIRFAX, VIRGINIA
>AVA RESIDENCE
>0200
>16DEC2019


Ava stared up at the dark ceiling above her bed, the only light of the room coming from the soft blue glow of her digital clock; obnoxiously informing her of the time. Things were still and silent in the room, the only sounds breaking up this monotony were the gentle snores coming from Dave and the soft purrs emitting from Thor as he made his bed next to Dave’s head on his pillow.

Dave’s arms were wrapped protectively around her, warm and comforting, his hand resting over her stomach. Normally she would have no issue falling and staying asleep with Dave beside her. And though she tried and she thought she must have drifted off at some point, she remained stubbornly awake.

She took in a breath, feeling a sense of restlessness starting to stir in her the more she stared at the ceiling and tried to will herself to fall back asleep. She shifted in the warm confines of the bed, trying to gently extract herself from Dave’s arms without waking him up.

Dave woke almost immediately, his hand reaching for the pistol by the bed. His brain was quick to catch up; it seemed these days that he was never really asleep. He could go from sleep to action in a heartbeat, and after a quick glance around the room he released the grip of the pistol and sat up.

“You alright, sugar?” He asked, rubbing his eyes.

“Hey, sorry Dave,” Ava said sheepishly, sitting up herself. “I…can’t sleep. So, I was going to go make some tea and probably watch a little TV.” She grimaced. “I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

Dave yawned and waved her comment away, giving Thor a scratch on the head. “I’ll give ya some company. Don’t mind gettin’ up, we can sleep in if we wanna.”

“That’s true,” She smiled at him in the dark. “It’s not like we have anywhere we need to go.”

“Exactly,” he said. He leaned over and gave her a kiss, reaching down and placing his hand against her stomach. He held it there a moment, then gave her another kiss. “Alright. C’mon, lemme find some pants.”

Ava smiled to herself, moving the bed sheets aside so she could get out of bed proper. “I hope I adjust to this new medication soon, I like sleeping and I’m already not a morning person.”

“You will,” Dave assured her. Unlike Ava, he was a morning person, and he was already waking up. “I’m gonna make coffee. What kinda tea did ya want? Can I get you a snack or somethin’?”

“Let’s start with the tea,” She chuckled, picking up her glasses from the nightstand. “A lavender latte sounds nice.” She thought for a moment before saying, “Since we’re just going to be up, I think I’ll get my Switch and play something.”

Dave nodded and, after locating his sweatpants, made his way to the kitchen. He began the process of making Ava’s lavender latte, while also starting a cup of coffee for himself. As an after thought, he tossed a bag of popcorn into the microwave. She didn’t want a snack now, but he figured she’d eat some as soon as he put on a movie.

Ava gave Thor a few pets before leaving the bedroom after Dave and heading into her office, flicking on the light and making her blink and squint at the sudden brightness. She stared down at the mess that was her desk, a cluttered pile of miscellaneous papers, folders and booklets. The disorganized evidence of her and Dave trying to put a life together for themselves.

She sat in her desk chair and started shifting papers around, sure that her Switch was buried somewhere in the piles of financial records and real estate print outs.

After a few minutes searching, she moved aside some books she had recently bought on homesteading and on the Arkansas Ozarks and paused. Staring back at her was a familiar, thick manilla folder. One that caused an instant spike in anxiety as it brought forth a flood of painful memories.

Not just of the mission, the caves, Foster escaping out into the world, but of a painful argument and leaving a close friend behind. They hadn’t looked through the folder much when they got it, everything that had happened had been too fresh, too painful.

At the time, it was evidence that they were done with the Program. That was all they cared about.

Looking at the folder, Ava still felt the pain of that evening as if it was yesterday; when they left and didn’t look back at Donnelley. It had been weeks, they hadn’t heard from him. She had decided to keep in touch with Laine, the woman having grown to be something of an older sister figure for her. She didn’t want to let that go. And she could get updates on Queen, on Billy, how he was doing.

She hoped he would get better and she’d get to visit him.

Tears started to well up in her eyes and she rubbed them away on her sleeve before she sighed and opened the folder to begin to flip through it. She might as well make sure that they were given everything.

Dave bustled about in the kitchen, starting the Keurig, putting on the kettle, and starting the milk heating to make it a latte. He hummed to himself, occasionally singing a few snatches of lyrics from an old Hank Jr. song as he tossed a bag of popcorn into the microwave.

The truth was he hadn’t been sleeping well, either. There were nights he’d lay in bed for hours, running over that final fight in his mind, wondering if things could have ended differently somehow. If he’d taken a shot sooner, thrown a grenade, something to stop the sorry bastards from getting away and making it feel like nothing had really been accomplished. It bled over into daily life; a few days ago he’d been out with Ava and had heard someone speaking a language that sounded close enough to Russian to make him want to go for his gun, just in case they were about to start a shootout in the middle of town.

When the water was ready he poured in into Ava’s frog mug, assembling the latte with deft experience. He put the popcorn in a bowl, which he left in the microwave to keep warm, and then took the tea latte and his coffee into the office, setting the mug in front of Ava.

“Here ya go.”

Ava looked up at Dave, a small reflexive smile on her face before she looked down at the mug he chose and chuckled. “Thank you Dave,” She said, taking off the mushroom hat top of the mug and setting it aside so the tea inside could cool a little. She waved her hand over the folder opened in front of her. “I got distracted, I just wanted to check that they really did give us everything.”

“You’re welcome, sugar.” He leaned down and kissed the top of her head, then leaned against the wall behind her desk, sipping his coffee. “I kinda paged through mine a little, but I wouldn’t know if they missed somethin’ or not. They went deep with them arrest records, I tell you that. Got the one from when I was 15 for gettin’ drunk with my buddies and crashin’ a four-wheeler through the neighbor’s fence. That got expunged when I turned 18.”

Ava was about to take a sip of her tea when she paused and slowly turned in her chair to look at him.

Dave grinned sheepishly and shrugged. “Woody’s uncle made a batch of ‘shine, so we made off with a jug of it…”

“To infinity and beyond, apparently.” She huffed with a gentle, amused shake of her head, took a sip from her mug and turned back to the folder. She flipped a page and an envelope slipped out, with a note in familiar handwriting she had not seen in some months. “Huh,” She set down her mug and picked up the envelope. “This is my old supervisor’s writing.” She said to Dave. Though Agent Stark had left it unsigned, she knew it was his. “Says I should look at the DNA samples enclosed.”

“DNA samples?” Dave frowned. “I didn’t have DNA stuff in mine.”

She grimaced as she opened the envelope. “I think it’s probably from when I…” She trailed off and shuddered. “Alaska.” She shook her head. “I think it’s standard procedure to take DNA during…well…” She trailed off, not wanting to invoke the images that came to mind with the word ‘autopsy’.

He reached down and put his hand on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze before gently moving to rub the back of her neck.

She reached up to touch his arm, giving him a grateful smile. She turned back to the envelope and after taking a deep breath, opened it and pulled out the documents. What was in the papers wasn’t immediately apparent to her, it took some minutes of silent reading and flipping through charts before her eyes grew wide. “No.” She whispered quietly. “I’m…I must be reading this report wrong.”

“I hope not, cuz Lord knows I can’t read it,” Dave murmured. He leaned down closer. “What’s up, sugar?”

“It-it, um,” She shook her head and flipped through a few of the papers again, reading the paragraphs of information to make sure she was understanding it. “It says that, preliminary DNA tests showed a possible familial link between two of the bodies. Further testing confirmed with near certainty that there is a paternal link between ‘Subject 1A’ and ‘Subject 3A’. I’m subject 1A.”

“...Well shit,” Dave said, staring wide-eyed at the papers. He ran a few brief numbers in his head. Queen was only his age. “So that means 3A is…”

“Yeah,” She leaned back in her chair, looking up at Dave with wide eyes. “Donnelley…Is my father.”

He held her gaze, judging her mood. Experience told him she was teetering on the edge of panic and tears. He reached out and put a hand on her shoulder.

“Sorry I punched your dad, that one time,” he said.

Ava let out a startled laugh, the mounting anxiety building inside of her released with that one sentence. She gently slapped at his arm with the papers. “This is serious Dave!” She said, despite the smile that remained on her face. “Like, this is HUGE!”

He knelt down beside her chair, slipping his arm around her.

“It is huge,” he said. “But…It also ain’t bad. So it’s somethin’ to think about, but not somethin’ to worry about.”

She leaned into the embrace, resting her head gently against his. “That’s true.” She agreed. “It’s just…so wild. I’ve wanted to know where I came from for so long and it turns out I’ve been working with one half of that mystery.” She frowned and looked down at the papers, shuffling them back into order so she could put them back in the envelope. “We didn’t…leave on the best terms with him.”

Dave felt a very brief twinge of anger at the treatment they’d received from Donnelley the last time they’d seen him. “No…No we didn’t,” he said. He shifted his weight so he was able to get both arms around her, laying his head against her chest. After a few moments of silently listening to her breathing and heartbeat he gave her a squeeze. “You wanna…See if we can fix that?”

“...Yeah.” She said quietly. “Would you be okay with that?”

“I’d never take that from you,” he said gently. “You lemme know when, and we’ll do it.”

Ava nodded slowly and leaned her head back against her chair. “Thank you Dave.” She placed her hand on his bare back and glanced over at her desk. “I think…Once we’ve settled everything we try to reach out to him.” Her lips quirked up into a mirthful smirk. “I’d like to see his face when he realizes he’s also going to be a grandpa.”

Dave grinned up at her. “Man, he’s gonna be gettin’ hit with a lot at once.” He leaned down and kissed her gently on her flat stomach. She wasn’t showing yet, but it wouldn’t be long. “Kinda wanna see his face.”

“Well, I guess that can be our pay back for how he left things off.” She chuckled. She grew quiet for a moment and added, “I hope he’ll be alright.”

...///

>SOMEWHERE IN ARKANSAS
>11FEB2020…///


The mountain roads were slick, but the off-road tires of the Ford Bronco held true as he sped through the snow. Speed was honestly relative in situations like these, but the nice thirty miles per hour was a pace he could keep up the mountain. Fuckin’ leave it to Dave to pick a spot nobody else but him can fuckin’ get to, he thought as he went around another turn, managing to keep from sliding right off and dying right where he started at the bottom.

That would be that for the reunion. He still didn’t know if he’d prefer that to looking Dave and Ava in the face, knowing he’d been the villain of their story last time they’d been in each other’s company. The weekly therapy sessions were getting just a bit too pressing on him, and he’d rescheduled the last few last minute to avoid Cherie’s subtle prying. Something she probably knew. This outing would be much needed, though he wasn’t looking forward to seeing them again. If an apology was what they were looking for, he could’ve given that to them over the phone. Written a letter and sealed it with all the sincerity in the world.

Truth be told, he was tired of facing difficult situations of his own making, or that the Program only exacerbated and lit the fuse of to the powder keg that was the worsening condition of UMBRA back when. He was still waiting for that phone call. The one that would bring him back. The one that would take him away from Tilly. He imagined the look on her face when he’d have to tell her he would be gone. Just another thing to be sorry for.

He pulled up to the only driveway at the end of this long road up the mountain to see the conditions of Dave and Ava’s living situation. It was real now, he thought, as he looked at the small hut and the parking structure they’d parked their vehicles in. He took a long breath and sighed it out, wondering if it was too late to just turn around. They could’ve just left him and everything to do with the Program in the past like he told them to. The last thing he wanted to hear was one of them getting hurt because he was here and someone saw. Getting hurt for the crime of knowing him.

But, he opened the door of the Bronco anyway and his square toe boots crunched in the snow as he closed the driver door behind him. Coming around Dave’s way had him dressing different. He felt like a hand on his uncle’s ranch, what with the carhartt jacket, hat, and whole ensemble. His eyes scanned the yard around before he stomped his way through the snow to the front door. He took a breath, and then rapped his knuckles on the front door.

“Just me.” He called out, “Donnelley.”

“I know.” Dave stepped out from behind the woodpile that was stacked next to his truck beneath the carport. It was a large, three-walled structure, open in the front and covered to keep the weather off both the vehicles and the wood supply. Tools hung along the back wall; shovel, pick, axes of various types for various uses.

“We saw ya comin’ a mile and change back. Wasn’t sure if it was you or not.” He held his customary AK loosely in his hands, muzzle down but stock extended, ready for use. His battle belt rode around his hips and while he wore a green and brown knit beanie atop his shaggy hair his green flannel was covered by his plate carrier. About ten feet to his left was Rufus; the big shepherd-mastiff mix walked slowly in an arc away from Dave, eyes locked on Donnelley as he circled him. He was silent, but his hackles here raised.

“Rufus, easy,” Dave said. He walked up to Donnelley and eyed him for a moment, then put out his right hand. He was relaxed but unsmiling; this was clearly a second chance. It also felt like a final one.

Donnelley kept himself from flinching at the sound of Dave’s voice. These weeks away from the Program were making him soft. Or maybe just normal. Either way, if Dave had been someone else…

He turned around to face Dave and was also greeted by a dog the size of which almost offended him. He elected to meet Dave half way in his yard, and a ghost of that old envy and resentment whispered in his ear at the offering of Dave’s hand. No smile from either man though. He could feel the tension in the icy air.

Donnelley looked from Dave to his hand, then back again. He took the hand and shook it firmly, “I’m glad to see you buildin’ a life out here.” He said, returning his hand to his side and scanning the wilderness, “A normal one.”

“Doin’ what we can, for sure,” Dave said, relaxing a little. A bit of that old smile came back as he released Donnelley’s grip and reached for a radio mic on the shoulder of his rig. “It’s clear, sugar. It’s Donnelley.”

He gave the man in question a sheepish look and a small shrug. “Well. Normal as things can be after all that.”

Donnelley watched Dave key in on his mic and nodded in solemn understanding. Even normal for the things they’d been through wasn’t truly so. The war isn’t ever really over. Even for them. Donnelley sighed, “We’re still workin’ on that.” Donnelley said, “Ghost and I found Nikolai.”

He let the implications of that hang on the air for a moment, knowing Dave would understand. Then he spoke again, “We’ll find Foster.” He assured, “You won’t have to keep lookin’ over y’all’s shoulders.”

“It’s the least I could do for you two.” He smiled, though faintly. The work was never done.

Soft scratching and squeaky barking sounded from the other side of the front door before it opened and bounding out came a puppy, a dusty gray and black coat of fuzz on its small body with a bright white spot on the chest. Large ears flopped around as the pup sniffed around briefly on the front stoop before seemingly noticing the new person to begin barking at Donnelley.

“Ripley, hush,” Ava said as she carefully stepped onto the small wooden deck that was their front step, another clearly more shy puppy hovering around her legs; this one a light tan coat more like Rufus’ with similar dark muzzle and ears.

Ava looked down at Donnelley, one hand holding onto the front door for balance and the other resting on top of the small, but unmistakable round bump of her stomach that was clearly visible through the dusky pink sweater dress she was wearing.

She stared down at Donnelley for a long, silent moment, multiple emotions flickering across her face and warring with each other. “Um,” She said, blinking her eyes and snapping herself out of her emotion-fueled paralysis. “Hey.”

Donnelley heard the front door come open and his attention was taken away by the sound of small barks. He eyed the puppies with some measure of affection, a thought coming to mind about floating the idea by Tilly if she’d want one. Maybe even Laine, before remembering their relationship would have to stay hidden so long as they were with the Program.

He buried his feelings about that as he looked up at Ava, only for his attention to be ripped back down to her stomach. He could see why Dave was so protective now, even past his usual amount.

“Hey.” He said, looking back at her face as she greeted him. He didn’t know what else to say, and settled on an easy, “Congratulations.”

Ava cracked a small smile and looked down at her stomach before looking back over at Dave. “Thank you, we’re excited.” Ripley hovered near the steps down to the snow covered ground, still barking and growling at Donnelley and Ava shook her head. “Well, come on in, once you’re inside she should stop barking at you. I’ve got venison stew on the stove and some rosemary garlic bread I made this morning, so I hope you’re hungry.” She flashed a slightly awkward smile before stepping back into the warmly lit interior, the quiet puppy giving a shake and a whine before hopping up the step to follow after her.

Ripley remained, resolute in her defensive posturing. Donnelley gave a small smile to the pup, stepping closer to the porch, “Easy, girl. I’m friendly.”

Once he made it past one of Ava’s fiercest protectors, Donnelley hung about the entryway, his hands in his pockets. It was a quaint little place. Like a studio apartment, the price of which back in Seattle probably went for a lot more than they had it here. He looked around, not a mess of empty bottles like he’d seen before in some other places that belonged to Program agents.

Even so, he still didn’t know whether he should find a seat for himself or wait to be offered one. Neither of them had said it aloud, but the last time they all shared a room it didn’t quite go as friendly as it could have. He cleared his throat, “The food smells amazin’. I know the garlic bread’s gonna be good.” He said, not lying, but not exactly all too open, “I, uh… I missed it. Your bakin’.”

Ava glanced over at him, in the process of giving the pot of steaming stew a few stirs. She smiled, albeit hesitantly. “Thanks, I made brownies for…mostly for me, because I’ve been craving them constantly, but you can have some if you want.”

Dave let the two get reacquainted while he put his things away. His rifle went on a hook on the wall, the vest and belt on a small stand he’d made for that purpose. He left the Sig in the belt holster and in its place hung a leather snap-on holster with a revolver nestled inside.

He glanced at Donnelley. “Black bears,” he said. “We’re new to this bit of woods, and Rufus ain’t run ‘em all off to my likin’ yet. They’re usually pretty shy, but with the puppies around and Ava pregnant, well… Better safe than sorry, right?”

With his old .357 secured at his hip Dave went over and sat down, picking up Moses when he ambled over to be petted. Ripley followed Ava.

“Take a seat,” Dave nodded at small loveseat across from the one in which he was sitting.

And so Donnelley did, taking the chance to finally sit again with gratitude. Before he did so, he brushed his coat aside and pulled a holstered Staccato C2 outfitted with an optic from his waistband and set it on a nearby surface. He looked at Dave and winked, “Figured it was time for an upgrade.” He smirked, “I like the holster. What’s in it?”

“Classy,” Dave grinned. “We’ll hafta shoot it while you’re out here. Got plenty of land.”

He unsnapped his holster and partially lifted the revolver. It was old, but clearly in good shape.

“Old Smith Model 19,” he said before stuffing it back in the holster. “I got rid of the Ruger, after…Well.” He shrugged, the brief memory of shooting down a Russian agent at his favorite hunting site flashing in his mind’s eye. “This one’s a little heftier, but she’s reliable as hell, and the .357 is plenty for bears or the rare cougar.”

“Oh, I’m sure. ‘Course, bangin’ on pots and pans might scare ‘em off, but shoot ‘em in the ass and they’ll never forget it.” Donnelley chuckled, “My uncle still keeps him a wheel-gun loaded with .410 shells for the rattlesnakes. Remember blastin’ at coyotes with his lever gun still, was a pretty good shot.”

Ava glanced over her shoulder at the two of them as they talked, a small smile on her face hearing them talk to each other like old times. She stepped away from the stove with a stainless steel bowl in her hand and set it down in front of Rufus, who after following Dave back inside, had calmly laid himself out in front of the small wood burning stove that helped heat their home.

She gave the big mastiff a ruffling scratch behind the ears before reaching down to scoop up Ripley when the pup tried to bury her face into Rufus’ food. “No, not for you.” She said, stepping out of the small kitchenette area and through a pair of double doors that lead out to a sunroom like attachment. She set Ripley down in a penned off corner of the room before returning to the kitchen to dish out bowls of stew for the three of them. “So, how have you been, Donnelly?” Ava asked over her shoulder. “After…” She trailed off and cleared her throat. “How have you been?”

He looked at Dave, and then looked at Ava. His smirk had faded just a bit and he glanced at the floor and cleared his throat, “After I almost ruined everythin’ with y’all?”

It was a little quiet then, but they couldn’t keep stepping around it, and the kind of person Donnelley was… that he was at least trying to be, didn’t just sweep things under the rug. He looked at Dave, “I said a lot that day.” He nodded, “A lot that I didn’t mean. Foster had gotten away, my best friend had finally broken…”

His eyes looked at the floor, remembering the raid, and the high emotions, and what he’d said, “I did a lot for the paperwork that let y’all go free, and I did it because y’all asked me. This ain’t the time nor the place for me to tell that story, and I probably never will, but…” He placed his hands in his lap, fingers entwined, “I don’t regret it, seein’ y’all live like this. And I’m sorry for what I said, and how it made y’all feel.”

He thought of Tilly, knowing she’d be proud of him for doing this. For being better, or at least trying, “So, thank you for lettin’ me come around and say that. Make amends. And lettin’ me break bread with y’all.”

“I been good, by the way.” He smirked.

Dave nodded, letting Donnelley get things off his chest. He waited until he was done and then smiled a little.

“We forgive you, man,” he said. “Call it square. You’re the first real company we’ve had out here. There’s Dan, but he don’t really count, he comes to work. Old man makes me feel like a hired hand on my own property.”

Ava huffed to herself, a small smile on her face at the mention of the old timer. “I’d call it more supervising, but don’t tell him I said that.” She smiled. “And, yeah, Dave’s right. We both forgive you Donnelley.” She bit her lip and glanced at Dave for a moment, hesitating and seeking his approval before catching herself. Dave was leaving this in her hands. Best to rip the bandaid off now and hope for the best.

She took a deep breath and turned to a small drawer in their counter, one of those short square ones that’s only purpose seemed to be to gather junk and stray bits of mail. This one she opened and there was only one thing inside, a singular envelope with the same handwritten note she had been given all those months ago. “There was…one other reason we invited you out here. On top of making amends.”

Donnelley eyed the envelope with a bit of curiosity and amusement behind his smirk, “What, did you get me a card or somethin’?”

Ava gave a nervous laugh. “Don’t think I didn’t consider getting a card.” She grew a bit more serious as she looked down at the envelope before back up at Donnelley. “It’s DNA testing from Alaska, after we died.” She said, carefully walking up to Donnelley and handing him the envelope. “Well, turns out my DNA matched with someone. A parent.”

She looked him in the eyes as steadfast as she could and said, “Remember that time you told me, someone would have to be a fool to throw a daughter like me away?”

Donnelley’s smirk dropped as he furled his brow in confusion, and then quietly processing the growing realization, looking from Dave who’d seemingly picked up the smirk that he dropped, to Ava. He cocked his head and looked at Ava more closely, “Did the Program… find your biological parents somewhere?”

“Just one,” Ava said quietly. “My father and it turns out he was really close by.” She held up the envelope for him.

Donnelley rose from his seat to take the offered envelope from Ava. He didn’t bother taking back his seat, just unsealing it in front of her and taking it from the envelope. He unfolded the piece of paper and began reading it, his eyes scanning the page. Once he was done, he folded it back up and slid it back into the open envelope. He didn’t meet Ava’s eyes.

“Who’s subject A3?” He muttered. He already knew, but he wanted her to say it.

Ava stared up at him, her heart beating quicker as fear and anxiety that he wouldn’t take it well, spiked in her chest. Tears started to sting at the back of her eyes as she took in a deep breath and reached out to touch his hand.

“You,” she said quietly, her voice straining with the swell of emotions that were not tampered thanks to her hormones. “It’s you.”

Donnelley let out a breath and swallowed, closing his eyes and bowing his head. He had a deep frown and bit his lip as he ran his free hand through his hair, “Fuckin’ Jesus…”

He stayed like that for a moment, still not meeting Ava’s eyes.

Dave reached over and took Ava’s hand, gently setting puppy Moses aside. Finding this out had been a rollercoaster for her; ups, downs, joy, confusion, fear… Fear that Donnelley would deny her, would storm off, would say something hurtful. There’d also been excitement, that maybe he’d embrace her and they could get to know each other on a different level. Either way, Dave was there for her.

He watched Donnelley closely. He was smiling, but the smile was cautious; silently he willed Donnelley to say something kind, even if he was letting her down to do it gently.

Ava gave Dave’s hand a squeeze, the tears continuing to well while the silence stretched on. “Do,” Her voice caught and she cleared her throat, though it didn’t remove the lump in her throat. “Do you not…want me? To be your daughter?”

Donnelley gently put his hands on Ava’s shoulders and drew her into a hug at that, shaking his head. He couldn’t tell what he felt more, guilt or happiness, the two emotions roiling in his chest. “Anyone would be a fool to not want you for a daughter, Ava.” He said, voice reedy as he held strong against a torrent of tears that threatened to push past his eyes, “A damn fool. A goddamn fool.”

Ava shut her eyes as the tears began to fall. She let go of Dave’s hand in order to return the embrace, pressing her face into Donnelley’s chest, her small back starting to shake with sobs as not only was there a release of the anxiety that had built up over the past 2 or so months, but a release of a pain she had been carrying since she was a child. She was wanted by one of the people that brought her into this world.

There were still many unanswered questions, but right now, she didn’t care about that.

“Careful not to squish the baby grandpa.” she said with a shaking laugh between her uncontrollable sobbing.

Donnelley eased up and held Ava by her shoulders as he shared the laugh, wiping at one of his eyes, “I’d never.”

He looked at Ava, taking her in, belly and all. He didn’t know how he could go all these years without knowing May’s baby- his baby- was all grown up next to him. Especially when they met for the first time. Ava looked so much like her mother, but it only came to him in this moment, all at once. He remembered holding hands with May, knowing they were the only ones who could keep each other safe in a world full of people who looked down on them for the kind of people they were.

He didn’t know Ava’s story as well as he’d liked to. As well as a real father who’d been there since the beginning. But, he knew that girl that May Childers was would want him to protect the one thing they created together. No matter how unplanned it was in the moment. She’d want him to know her. Donnelley wanted to know her.

“I know I had no hand in the person you are today, but I want you to know that I wouldn’t change anythin’ about who you are.” Donnelley spoke to Ava, looking into her eyes like he used to look at May’s, “And I know you’re gonna be a better parent than I ever was. But I’m tryin’ for my Tilly.”

He smiled at Ava, “And I’ll try for you, Ava.” He chuckled, “Not that you need much raisin’ anymore. But I’ll be there. In whatever way you want me to.”

Ava wiped at her eyes and cheeks with her sleeves, a smile on her face despite the tears. “That’s all I want.” She said, her voice still rough with emotion. “Thank you, Donnelley. Or I guess dad? Because you’re my dad,” A fresh wave of tears started to pour from her eyes as she sniffed loudly. “I’m sorry, this is just the hormones now.” She said, rubbing at her eyes again with her sleeves.

“You’re fine, you’re makin’ me a lil’ misty-eyed.” Donnelley chuckled, then looked at Dave with a shit-eating grin with a quip to lighten the mood a bit, “You can call me dad too, if you want.”

Dave snorted, taking out his Cope and packing in a lip. “Maybe we’ll let Ava get used to it first, an’ then go from there,” he said. A yelping whine from the Puppy Jail caught his attention and he sighed, heaving himself to his feet. “She wants her buddy. I’ll put him down an’ then pour us a couple drinks, make some tea for Ava?”

“I think I'd like some hot chocolate and a brownie.” She said with another sniffle, finally seeming to get her tears under control as her mind turned to the idea of sweets. “Oh, but we need to eat first…” She thought about it before waving her hand and taking a seat on the couch Dave vacated. “Fuck it, stew after, the pregnant woman has spoken.”

Donnelley watched Ava sit with a newfound joy that he couldn’t keep from his face, smiling all the while he watched her gingerly set herself down in the couch and hearing the sound of her voice. When Dave moved to the kitchen, and Ava noticed him staring, his smile only grew a tad. The smell of the cooking food, and baking sweets, the puppies rolling across the floor with each other. Ava and Dave going about their lives with no more worry for the dangers outside. He turned around to look out the window and the snowy peaks and crags beyond as he bit down on his lip to steady himself from becoming a blubbering mess.

After a moment, he nodded to himself, and then Ava, “I think I’d better help get my daughter,” his voice almost caught at that, “Better help get my daughter some hot chocolate. Marshmallows?”

Ava looked up at him, her hand resting comfortably on her round stomach. Tears started to mist over her eyes again, but she smiled and nodded. “Yeah,” She answered, her voice growing quiet as she fought the urge to burst into tears yet again. “Thanks…Dad.”
>COOKEVILLE, TN
>CANDLEWOOD SUITES, ROOM 68
>1243
>08.NOV.2019


Ava looked away from the crackling pan of squat, frying dumplings and over at the clock on the microwave of the hotel room’s kitchenette. Her heart thumped seeing that it was nearly one in that afternoon. Her mind started to race with what was keeping Dave before she tried to stamp down on her rising anxiety. Their last check in had been at noon and Dave assured her he was making it as quickly to her as possible. That was only 40 minutes ago, he would either be there soon or he would call her in 20 minutes for another hourly check in.

He was fine, he would be there soon and she could breathe a little easier.

Despite the logical part of her brain knowing this, the more primal side of her was more inclined to panic and worry. She had been the first one to make it to their designated hotel meet up, checking in under the name Rosana Davis and telling the hotel front counter she was expecting a man named James Smith and to send him up to her room when he came in. They’d had this plan ready weeks in advance so even on their phone calls they didn’t have to speak where they were staying or how they would find each other, just to be on the safe side.

Dave had mentioned in one of his check-ins that he had to make sure his son and his mother were alright after he got a call from them. Which meant he would be running late but Ava understood and hoped that Dave’s son and ex were safe and unharmed.

Still that left her to quietly agonize in the hotel room until Dave arrived and so she did the best she could to keep occupied. So she did the only things she could do without leaving the relative safety of the hotel room; she did some yoga, some basic exercises and a little cooking.

They had chosen this hotel specifically because of its rooms with their little kitchenettes, complete with pots, pans, dishware and a full size fridge. Ava reasoned that this would enable them to avoid having to go out for food or risk having food delivered to the hotel. So when she first made it to town she had stopped by a little market and stocked up on basic groceries that would last them at least a week. It also helped that the hotel boasted grocery delivery service so if they really had to hunker down, they could.

It had the added bonus of letting Ava work out her anxiety and keep her hands occupied by hand kneading dough which she used to make dumplings. A lot of dumplings, but she reasoned that Dave would be hungry when he finally got there.

Ava blinked and shook her head at the clock as another minute ticked by, rubbing the back of her hand across her forehead and returned her attention to the pan of simmering dumplings. She removed the current batch when both sides were golden brown and crispy and transferred them to a waiting paper towel lined plate, which would then be moved to a small dish that was half filled with her other creations.

Thor was off on the couch, sleeping away even as the television played whatever was on the hotel’s cable. Some generic sitcom that was good background noise but Ava wasn’t paying enough attention to care what it was. It was rare that Thor didn’t hover around her when she was cooking, but she couldn’t blame the cat as he had quite the exciting time. First the break in, then the driving all night to a random rental car place, renting a car under a fake name and then driving all morning to reach the hotel.

She hadn’t slept yet, she was too worried about missing a check in with Dave and too paranoid being in a hotel room alone with people possibly after her. Her Glock was riding openinly on her side as she cooked, just in case anyone she wasn’t expecting came knocking.

She was tired, but Dave would be showing up any minute and then she could sleep.

Ava took a long drink of her coffee, not sure what number of cups she was on and not caring, then set it down and loaded the last batch of dumplings to the pan to steam and fry. She had just flipped them onto the other side to cook when the knock on the door came.

She stiffened and looked over to the door, remaining still as silence followed after the singular knock. After a moment had passed, three more knocks followed and Ava’s heart leapt for joy. She padded quickly over to the door and looked through the hotel room peephole to the hallway beyond.

Sure enough, standing there and looking a little shaggy, a lot tired and wearing the hat she had gotten him, was Dave. Her Dave.

She stepped back and quickly unlocked the multiple locks on the solid metal door, throwing it open and smiling up brightly at Dave. “Hey Mountain Man.” She whispered, tears of relief misting over her eyes to see him alive and well in front of her.

He stepped quickly into the room, shutting the door and locking it. Then he threw his arms around her and squeezed her tight.

"Hey there sugar," he said softly, his face in her hair. He breathed in her scent; fear had dogged him the entire way, from the moment he dropped Rufus at his grandfather's house until now. He felt some of it melt away as he held Ava, though a knot of it still sat in his belly.

"They threatened my boy," he said softly. "Him and his mom. Left knives on their pillows and the same note they left you."

He kissed the top of her head. Despite the relief that he felt there was a hardness in his voice. "We're gonna end this. We're almost done."

Ava hugged Dave tightly back, her elation and relief seeing him turning to an icy chill as he told her what happened. “Oh Dave, I’m so sorry.” She pulled back from him enough to look up into his face. “Are they alright? Did you move them?”

“I got ‘em moved,” he said. He kissed her forehead. “They’re with my grandpa, lives a couple hours from me. Deeper in the mountains. Rufus is there, and Grandpa Dan is a hard old sumbitch. He’ll take care of ‘em.”

“Good.” Ava breathed a sigh of relief, stepping forward to hug him again. “I’m so glad you’re safe Dave.”

“You too, sugar,” he said. His grip was tight, worry falling away as he held her. “Hey. You cookin’ somethin’?”

Ava straightened. “Oh right!” She hesitantly let go of Dave and trotted back over to the stove, turning off the heat and checking the bottom of the dumplings she had in the pan. “Little crispier than the others, but they’re alright.” She chuckled sheepishly, moving the dumplings over to the paper towel lined plate.

There came the sound of running little feet across the floor before Thor ran into the kitchen, to the door and slammed himself up against Dave’s shins. He purred loudly, rubbing up against Dave’s legs and circling around him.

Dave bent and picked up the cat, cradling him against him with one arm and scratching under his chin.

“Lookin’ forward to ‘em,” he said as he walked to the bed and sat down, holding the purring Norwegian. “Haven’t eaten in hours, last thing I had was a drive-thru burger.”

“I thought you might be hungry.” Ava smiled over at him, opening one of the cupboards and pulling out a pair of the hotel’s plates. She piled dumplings onto Dave’s plate and then a few onto her own. “I was also…really anxious waiting so making them kind of helped keep me occupied.” She went to the fridge and pulled out a Pabst Blue Ribbon beer for Dave and a cherry Dr. Pepper for herself.

Balancing everything in her arms, she carried it over to the bed. “So the dumplings are filled with beef, pork and some veggies.”

“I like beef, pork, an’ veggies,” Dave said. He shifted Thor, earning an annoyed grumble, then leaned over and rested his head against Ava’s. “I love you.”

Ava passed him his plate and beer, smiling up at him. She leaned up to kiss him on the cheek and nuzzled against him. “I love you too. I’m so glad you’re here.”

“And I ain’t goin’ anywhere ‘til this is over,” he said. “This is the last time. We’re finishin’ this.”

Ava frowned and looked away, leaning against his chest as a weight settled back over her. “But…What Donnelley told me…Do you think we have a chance to finish this and get out?”

Dave’s gaze hardened as he looked across the room towards the door. His eyes were fixed where he knew his truck to be. “We’ll get out,” he said. “I promise you that, sugar.”

She looked up at him, studying the set of his jaw and the hardness in his eyes. She hadn’t seen that expression on his face before but she understood what it meant. Threatening his family had been the last straw.

Ava kissed him on the jaw. “Come on. Eat, then take a shower and we’ll both get some much needed sleep. Okay?”

He jerked a bit, surprised by the kiss, but grinned. The hardness fell away from his eyes and he made a point of sticking an entire dumpling into his mouth.

“Alright,” he said. “That sounds good to me.”

She smiled, relieved to see the softness return to his features. She saw movement from the corner of her eye and looked down in time to see Thor grab a dumpling from Dave’s plate and run off with it to the bathroom to devour his ill-gotten gains. “Thor!” She shouted at the cat with a mixture of exasperation and amusement as she shook her head. “Can’t let your eyes off him for one second.”

Dave snorted as the cat ran off with the dumpling. “Yeah, we’ll, I’ll teach him. See if he likes it when he sees me eatin’ his food.” He cupped a hand around his mouth. “Y’hear that, Thor? I ate cat food once for twenty bucks, I can do it again outta spite!”

For the first time in two days, Ava let out a bark of genuine laughter. She leaned against Dave as she giggled and looked up at him. “I love you.” She said with a bright smile as she leaned against his shoulder.

He leaned down and gave her a soft kiss. “I love you too,” he whispered. “Now eat up, or Thor’s gonna get more dumplings.” He popped one of hers into his mouth to illustrate the point.

She laughed again and picked up a dumpling to begin eating; happy to be doing so with Dave next to her.

>...///

>COOKEVILLE, TN
>CANDLEWOOD SUITES, ROOM 68
>1958
>08.NOV.2019


Dave jerked as his phone began to beep. He sat up, his hand automatically going for the pistol on the nightstand, while Ava’s phone began beeping as well. A quick scan of the room showed it to be unoccupied, and after a few moments he set the pistol down on the bed beside him and picked up the phone. It was an unknown number, with a one-word text message.

Idaho

He looked over at Ava. “Got orders.”

Ava startled awake when their phones started going off and Dave sat up abruptly in bed. Thor, who had been sleeping at the foot of the bed, jumped off and ran to the bathroom to hide. She blinked sleepily over at Dave once she saw him relax and looked over at her own phone. She flopped back down onto the bed with a groan. “Goddamnit.” She muttered, pulling the sheets over her head.

Dave set his phone and pistol aside, sliding down under the covers and gathering Ava to him.

“We got some time,” he said, his voice soft. “We’ll take a couple days. Decompress.”

“Okay,” She sighed, shifting and turning so she could tuck herself up against his chest. “...This is almost over right?” She asked him quietly.

“Almost, sugar,” he whispered as he kissed her forehead. “We’re almost done. An’ everything is gonna be okay.”

Ava let out a heavy breath through her nose and she kissed the underside of his jaw. “I love you, Dave.”

“I love you too, sugar,” he said. “I love you too.”
> Boston Mountains, Boone County
> Dave MacCready’s Cabin
>7.NOV.2019
> 2034 CDT..///


Night had fallen in the Ozarks. Dave had spent the day in his basement, cleaning weapons and going over his stores. The weapons were already as clean as they could be, his supplies more or less untouched since he'd started with the Program, but it was cathartic, a way to pass the time and occupy himself with a mindless task that helped keep him from thinking too much about recent events. About Alaska, about West Virginia. About Russian secret agents and how the list of people he could trust seemed to get smaller and smaller every day.

With the last rifle reassembled and hung on its pegs, he tromped up the steps to the living room. Rufus raised his head from his bed, in front of the wood stove. It wasn't yet cold enough to need a fire, but seeing the large black appliance reminded him that he needed to check his firewood stocks. He still had time to get some cut, to replace what he and Ava had used during her birthday visit. While they hadn't needed the fire, it added a romantic ambience that he hadn't been able to resist. He grinned at the memory and resolved to text her later, to see how she was settling back in.

Dave's first stop was his liquor cabinet, where he poured himself a measure of Jack before settling into his overstuffed old couch. The house was dim, lit only by a lamp in the corner, and he sighed as he sat in the silent cabin and took his first sip of whiskey, feeling it burn its way down his throat. He looked over at his phone, sitting on the end table with his .357 and the tv remote. It was late out east. Ava was probably in bed. The call would wait till morning.

He looked across the room at the DVD cabinet, debating on finding an old favorite to pass the last few hours before bed. The large windows on either side of the TV allowed a view of the moonlit forest, and he looked from the treeline to the TV. A walk might be nice. He hadn't done that in a while, strolled the forest in the moonlight.

As he raised his glass the window on the right cracked, the sound loud in the silent house. The wasp-like whine of a bullet zipped past his head and Dave reacted on instinct, throwing himself to the floor as Rufus began to bark. More rounds came in, stitching the sofa where he'd been sitting, and Dave swore as glass shattered, covering his head as his brain tried to catch up with the rapidly escalating situation. Then his fear turned to rage, and he moved.

He low-crawled to the end-table, yanking it hard so his gun fell to the floor, his training with Ghost coming back to him. First things first - the light. He rolled onto his back, the roar of the big revolver deafening as he put a round through the lamp and cast the room in darkness. The incoming rounds paused as the unseen shooter lost his advantage, and Dave was on his feet, sprinting for the back of the house. He put his back to the solid outer wall.

Inside he was trapped. The shooter had the advantage of maneuverability, line of sight, everything. They could shoot him as he moved to a window, they could burn the fucking house down. They were in the trees, where they could shoot and relocate at will, whereas Dave was limited to a few hundred square feet of living room and kitchen, or one of the small bedrooms.

His lip curled. The trees. His trees, on his mountain. Dave growled and eyed the back door. He'd have to move fast. A half-dozen rounds smashed in the other window back in the living room, exploratory shots. Dave heard Ghost's growl in his head. Amateur.
Gritting his teeth, threw open the back door and pelted for the treeline. Shots immediately came his way, tearing up the sod around him, but he threw himself into the shadow of the trees before stopping with his back to a large oak.

One shooter, Ghost growled in his head. Not a very good one. A wannabe sniper with an assault rifle, most likely.

Dave took a breath, hefting the revolver in his hand and wishing he had stopped to grab a long gun.

Don't be a pussy. You have a gun and a knife. I could do it with a sharp stick. Go kill the motherfucker.

Dave breathed a scared chuckle, then felt the anger come back. Ghost was right. It was time to kill the motherfucker. He took a breath and set off, angling towards the likely point of origin for the shots. The woods were dark, but he knew this terrain, and moved almost by instinct, the dim light of the waxing moon more than enough to see by.

His steps were slow, unhurried. This wasn't a fight, it was a hunt. He just needed to find the bastard and end this. He had five rounds in his gun, enough for one man if he was careful.

Don't be careful. Be good.

The crunching of twigs made Dave pause. Someone was close, moving his way. The way sound carried at night he could be a dozen yards out or a hundred. Dave swallowed a curse and closed his eyes, summoning his mental map of the area. Then he squared his shoulders, took a breath, and broke into another sprint, away from the house and deeper into the woods. He fired two shots in the vague direction of his enemy and was rewarded by a staccato volley of dull pops, only 30 yards away.

Suppressor.

No shit, Dave growled at the voice in his head.

The rounds chased him until the mag ran dry, Dave weaving from tree to tree. He crashed through brush, trampling bushes underfoot and snapping branches off trees as he followed the half-formed plan that was coalescing in his mind.

One hundred yards. Two hundred. Two-fifty...There.

The downhill slope suddenly gave way to a dramatic drop, twelve feet down to a slow-moving creek. He skidded to a stop, then doubled back.

This creek ran year round. It was a good watering hole, with a game trail that followed it up from the south. He'd killed deer here over the years, hiding himself in a narrow cut that was half concealed by heavy brush. He went there now, his panicked flight replaced by the careful movements of a hunter. His booted feet were silent as he slipped into the draw, melting into the deep shadows behind the bushes. He cocked his revolver, then settled in to wait.

Time seemed to slow. Dave's ears strained, the night sounds of the forest almost deafening. Then a branch broke, twigs dragged across heavy clothing, and Dave's breath caught.

He saw the man five minutes later. His silhouette materialized slowly, drifting towards the creek. He was quiet, cautious, his gaze on the ground as he followed the trail Dave had left. As he reached the drop-off he paused and raised his rifle, an AK by the silhouette, and played it over the foliage on the far side.

No cover. No concealment. Standing in the open. Get him.

Dave raised his revolver, lined up his sights, and fired a single shot. The deafening crack set his ears ringing, the foot-long muzzle flash left spots in front of his eyes, and the 200 grain hollowpoint found its mark, striking the man's lower back just beneath a large bulk that could only be a plate carrier. It pulverized the man's spine and he dropped with a keening wail that Dave heard even over the buzzing in his ears.

Dave sprinted from cover, diving onto the man. He was down, likely paralized, but he wasn't dead. Dave's aggression was met in kind and the mountain man swore as a gloved fist found his temple, stars bursting as hardened knuckles met flush with his skull. Another blow caught him in the mouth before he cocked back and hammered the heavy frame of his revolver into the man's face. It took two more blows before the man slumped back, panting.

"Who," Dave growled, the words muffled. He spat blood in the man's face and tried again. "Who sent you, motherfucker?"

"Does it matter?" The man's voice was deep, with the distinctly Eastern European lilt that Dave was growing to hate. "You are dead anyway. You kill me? Fine. More will come."

"Let 'em," Dave snarled. He put his gun to the man's temple and pulled the trigger, sending him to Hell with another clap of thunder.

He sat for a moment in the darkness, catching his breath, until another voice sounded in the depths of his mind.

Fuck are you doin', boy? If there's one there's two. I taught you better'n that.

"Shut up, Old Man," Dave grumbled. "You ain't welcome in my head."

He stuck the revolver in his waistband, stripped the dead Russian's rifle from his slack hands. A look down the sight confirmed his earlier suspicions; the far bank stood out clearly in the green hues of the night vision scope.

Dave pocketed two magazines, sighed, and started back into the woods. The night wasn't over. First he had to clear the property. Then he had to pack. Home wasn't safe; it was time to hit the road. Donnelley would know where to go, if he was alive. If they came after him, they might come for the others.

Dave swallowed a surge of fear, a sudden terror that Ava may have been attacked as well. He pushed it down. Clear the homestead. Hit the road. Call Ava. Call Donnelley. Then what?

Then we go hunting.

For once, Dave found himself agreeing with Ghost's assessment. It was time to go hunting.

>FITNESS FORMULA GYM, VA
>2247 EDT
>07NOV2019...///


Ava looked around the dark parking lot with pools of light from bright fluorescent lamp posts illuminating the asphalt, but it also created long deep shadows and fucked up her ability to peer into those shadows. Anyone could be lurking in them and she didn’t trust her ability to spot a potential attacker or stalker yet.

Her breath fogged in front of her in the chilly autumn night as she held her gym bag close to her body and walked quickly toward the safety of her car. She hated working out at night, she didn’t understand why Ghost suggested it for her. Maybe to help get used to being on her toes? Be alert to her surroundings?

It was certainly working at making her more paranoid. Over the past few days she had felt an itch between her shoulder blades and a chill on the back of her neck; like she was being watched.

She had looked for the source of the creepy feeling, but never saw anyone following her or watching her. She reasoned that it was just her anxiety getting the better of her. Not enough sleep, too much unresolved emotions stirred up by Donnelley and his biting words. Too many unresolved answers with the case and little trust left to go around.

She made it to her car unscatched, double checked her back seat was empty before tossing her gym bag in the back and getting in the driver seat. She locked the doors and took a moment to breathe a sigh of relief, feeling safer now that there was a barrier of glass and metal between herself and the outside world.

Although she knew logically that her car couldn’t protect her from much of anything...She still enjoyed the security if brought; even if it was false.

Ava ran her hand over her face, leaning back in her seat and sighing up to the ceiling. “...I hate this.” She muttered, slipping her keys into the ignition and bringing her car to life with the nice, quiet purr of her hybrid engine.

As she was pulling out of her parking space, her phone began to blare with Johnny Cash’s, God’s Gonna Cut You Down, Dave’s personalized ringtone for her phone. She looked at the touch screen on her console and smiled instanting seeing Dave’s name.

Happily she touched the ‘accept call’ button and said with a smile, “Heeey Mountain Man.”

"Ava! Thank you, God." Dave's voice was strained, the rush of relief he felt clear even over the phone. "Where are you? You need to get out of the house, now!"

Ava’s heart immediately dropped into her stomach and her hands went white knuckle on her steering wheel. “I’m just leaving the gym, I’m not even at home. What’s going on Dave? What happened?” She asked, trying to keep the panic out of her voice as she looked up into her rearview mirror.

"Russians. One attacked me on the mountain. I'm fine, I got him, but I don't know if they're comin' for anybody else. We gotta assume they will." There was a grunt and clatter, as though he was moving something heavy. "We gotta go to ground."

“To ground?” Ava repeated, her mind racing as she felt a cold sweat break out over her skin hearing that Dave had been attacked. He was fine, she told herself, but he still could have been killed and she would have had no idea. Been thousands of miles away and useless to do anything to help him.

She shook her head, trying to banish the thoughts as she focused on driving. “Right, right, okay.” She said, taking a deep breath. “What’s the plan? We get our stuff and meet at the place we talked about?”

"Yeah, we follow the plan." There was another grunt, a louder thud. "Grab what you need and start movin'. I'll meet ya where we talked about."

“Right, okay.” She said, uncaring that she was starting to sound like a broken record. “Those fuckers.” She growled, feeling a seed of anger start to form in her chest as the situation started to really set in. Ava took in another breath and tried to breathe out past the anger, focusing on the conversation and Dave’s voice. Dave, whom she could have lost.

“Dave, I’m glad you’re alright.” She said, her voice softening. “Are you hurt?”

"Got a shiner and he knocked a tooth out. I'm fine. He's dead."

She grimaced. “Good.” She said simply, without even consciously deciding to say it. She was beginning to detest these men that were making their lives and the lives of so many innocent people a living hell. “Alright, I’m going to get home and grab my stuff.” Hopefully there wasn’t anyone waiting for her. “Should we call the others? Laine? Donnelley?”

"I'll handle contacts, you just get gone. We'll meet, then figure out step two."

“Alright.” She said with a frown, as she looked in her mirrors again for any tails. “Can...will you call me again? Should I call you when I’m leaving?”

"We'll talk every hour, sugar." His voice was gentle, though still carried some nerves with it. "You let me know when you're on the move, we'll keep each other updated. Okay?"

She relaxed after hearing that. “Okay, good, that helps a lot.” She swallowed thickly as she began taking streets that would get her home. “I’m almost home, um, Dave...If anything...If I don’t...I love you, okay? I never thought I would love a person the way I do you.”

"I love you too, sugar. So, so much. You go into that house gun out, you hear me? I wish I could be there, but you go in with that gun out and you kill anybody in your way, and you come back to me. Don't be scared. Be mad. Because I'm mad, and any sumbitch between me an' you is a dead man. So you do the same, and you meet me."

Ava felt tears well up in her eyes, a storm of emotions swirling in her chest. “I will Dave.” She promised him, her voice tight, but as steady and clear as she could make it. “I’ll meet with you, come hell or high water.”

"Good girl. We got this, sugar. You got this. I'll see you soon." There was the sound of a door slamming, then a vehicle door opening. "Rufus, load up. I love you, Ava. I'll text you soon."

“I love you too Dave, I’ll meet you, I promise. Be safe.” She said, reluctant to say goodbye.

"Always. See you soon."

Ava hesitantly, but finally tapped the screen to end the call, sniffling to herself as she pulled into her neighborhood. “Okay, get it together Avaline.” She muttered to herself, wiping at her eyes with the sleeve of her jacket. “The others aren’t here, it’s all on you.”

Her heart sounded like thunder in her ears as she pulled up to her dark house, parking on the street so she could drive off easier in case anything happened. It would be a sprint from her front door but she felt like she could manage it.

She stared at her house, taking in a deep breath as she opened up the center compartment and pulled out her Glock 26. She tried to keep her hands steady as she loaded in a clip, her eyes on her dark windows as she tried to detect any movement in the darkness.

If it was up to her, she would be driving off right now but she couldn’t. Thor was there. There was sensitive information inside of her home, she had to collect it, erase it and then go. Not to mention all the cash she had been slowly building up since Dave and her made this emergency plan. Her go bag was already in the trunk of her car along with some other emergency supplies, but she didn’t have everything.

Ava stared at her house for a few heartbeats more before taking in a breath. She pressed her hand to her chest, where the wooden dragonfly pendant on a leather cord Dave had carved for her was resting beneath her shirt. She gave it a squeeze through the fabric to try and bring herself some measure of strength and courage before readying her Glock and climbing out of her car.

It was dark and she lived on a quiet little street, so no one would be looking outside and seeing as she slowly approached her front door with her gun at her side. She kept herself low to keep out of view of the windows and as she pressed her back to the wall beside the door she paused again.

Her mind raced as she tried to remember how Dave taught her to clear a room and heart pounding in her chest she reached over to the doorknob. She tested it and found it unlocked, making her break out in a cold sweat. Taking in one more breath, she swung the door open, jerking her hand back and holding her breath as she waited.

Silence answered her and after a few seconds of not being shot at, she stepped into the doorway, leading with her gun. She moved to the side quickly so she wasn’t backlit by the open door.

The living room was still, there were no sounds, but she could tell something wasn’t right. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness she could tell that things were not as she had left them.

The silence was broken by a faint thump and Ava tensed for a moment before she heard the jingling sound of Thor’s collar. Not long after, she saw the large cat run up to her, butting up against her legs and meowing.

Ava instantly relaxed, lowering down her gun and reaching down to pet Thor’s back. “Hey buddy.” She whispered. If Thor was running up to her, that meant there wasn’t anyone in the house. If there was an intruder, he would have been hiding or more than likely, killed.

She sighed and reached over, shutting the front door and firmly locking it. She flipped on the light switch and stifled a surprised scream.

Her home was completely destroyed.

The furniture in her living room had been tossed or broken, pillows ripped apart, her television was smashed. All of the pictures were shattered and on the ground, the watercolors she had gotten from Mrs. Grier were smashed and ripped to shreds. Her kitchen looked like a tornado had gone through it and it was littered in the colorful glass and ceramic of her dishes.

She stared in stunned silence for a moment before she ran across the house and down the hallway to her office. She pulled up into the open doorway and found a similar scene as the front of her house.

Everything was smashed and destroyed, her paints spattered across the ground, mingled with broken glass from family pictures and all the paintings she had been working on destroyed. Her computer monitors were on the ground, screens completely ruined and as she raced around the desk, she saw that the tower was gone.

“Damnit!” She shouted and kicked at her broken office chair. Thankfully, she mostly used that computer for gaming and sometimes drawing, especially as she had grown more paranoid about the kind of information she had and how to securely store it. She had programs that regularly scrubbed the harddrive of certain files and documents, but that didn’t take away the anger and fear.

She rushed out of the office and into her bedroom, skitting out of the way to avoid Thor as he nervously followed her, meowing the whole time. She found it completely tossed like the rest of her house but she ignored it and went straight for her closet.

Clothes were scattered around, boxes and empty suitcases and bags were open and tossed. However, what was untouched was an inconspicuous air vent tucked off to the side in the corner of the closet. Ava held her breath as she brought out her house keys and on the keychain was a little token that looked like a lollipop.

She waved it over the vent and a small green light flashed on, allowing her to slide open the door of the hidden compartment.

Ava let out a long, relieved sigh as she saw her laptop bag, the small makeup bag full of cash and a few external harddrives were still there. She pulled out the bag, double checked her laptop was still there as well as the deactivated tracking device, still within its little plastic bottle.

“I didn’t go to MIT for nothing you fucking dicks.” She muttered to herself, collecting everything from the safe and placing it all in the laptop bag.

Thor padded up next to her and rubbed against her, his body tense and twitchy as he sought comfort. Ava smiled as she stroked his back and scratched his ears. “Good boy Thor, you stayed out of the way.” She reached over and shut the secret safe back up, waving the lollipop token over it to engage the lock again. In case they came back, she wanted that secret to remain a secret.

She scratched Thor’s chin and sighed down at him. “Alright buddy, we’re going to get some stuff and then we’re going to be going on a little trip.”

>...///

It was when she was making the final trip to her car, Thor and her belongings already safely inside and making one last pass through the ruins of her once cozy little home that she found it. Resting innocently on the counter top in her kitchen was a plain white envelope.

Cautious and hopeful that maybe there might be evidence on it, she fetched her rubber gloves cleaning gloves and slipped it open. Inside was a folded sheet of paper, with a single phrase in unassuming font glaring back at her.

Tell Joseph Donnelley to stop.

She read it over two more times and resisted the urge to rip it to shreds. “Like I can tell that man to do anything.” She muttered, folding it back up and putting it into the envelope. She fetched a Ziplock bag to place the envelope inside, to preserve any evidence that might be on it. She left the rubber gloves on the sink and went to her front door, pausing to look back at her humble little home.

It had been a safe haven for her for years, especially after she joined UMBRA, it had been a welcome shelter from the horrors of the things she had seen.

But now that haven was gone, ripped away from her as cruelly and as easily as her life had been back in Alaska.

She clenched her hands into fists as anger surged through her and took in a deep breath. Whatever was happening, it was time for it to come to an end.

She shut off the lights and shut the door.

>...///

With Thor and everything she could think of as important packed in the car, Ava pulled away from her house and parked instead in front of Mrs. Grier’s home. She didn’t feel right leaving her friend without saying goodbye, particularly if she didn’t know when or if she would be coming back.

She parked in a way that it would be easy for her to get in her car and go and left Thor meowing in the car. The poor cat probably thought he was going to the vet, as though his day hadn’t been bad enough.

Ava smiled slightly at the thought, walking up the familiar flower lined path up to the front door. She felt a pang of guilt as she knocked on the door, waking her friend at such a late hour, but she told herself she would be quick about it. Not soon after she knocked, she heard Daisy begin to bark in her usual excited manner; Ava perfectly picturing the potato of a dog bouncing around on her twiggy legs.

The sound of the pug barking was soon joined with a murmur of a tired voice and the sound of a latch being slid open. Mrs. Grier was in her robe, tied tight around her thin body and her silvery hair was fluffed around her head. Her face was pale and gaunt in the harsh porch light and dark circles under her eyes like bruises that were usually masked by her carefully applied make up were visible. Her expression shifted to concern when she looked at Ava.

“What happened?” she asked, without her usual polite greeting, the instincts of a long life rising up as she searched the young woman’s face. “Are you alright? Come inside, my dear. I’ll put on tea.”

Mrs. Grier pushed Daisy back with her slippered foot and stepped aside for Ava to enter the house if she wished.

Ava smiled in relief to see her friend was alright. “Thank you Diana but I can’t come in, I’m actually in a bit of a rush.” She said, her smile slipping away as she looked over at her dark home and thought of the destruction inside. “I…Something came up. An emergency and I have to leave and I don’t know when I’ll be back. I’m taking Thor with me so you don’t have to worry about him. I just wanted to say goodbye to you before I leave.”

The old woman looked over Ava then back at her, the light harsh on her features that showed her age in a way she had tried to hide. The tiredness in Mrs Grier's eyes gave her a momentary hollow look before she smiled, lines creasing in her still elegant face. "I see," she said, her soft voice sounded tight, constrained. "You had visitors."

She lowered her voice, glancing again past Ava. "I called the police but none ever came. Whatever you need to do, take care of yourself. Remember that."

Ava’s heart dropped and she looked at her friend in concern. “I know.” She said, her voice quiet and throat tight. “I’m so sorry you saw that Diana. Are you alright?”

Mrs Grier struggled to smile, looking over Ava then said, "I'll be fine, don’t you worry.”

She held herself straighter, trying not to lean too heavily on the door frame. “Dear Ava, I want you to have a good life. Make a life with your Dave, whatever it is you’re going through now. Life is too short to deny yourself love and everything it can bring you.”

Her eyes misted over and she reached, brushing a strand of copper hair back from Ava’s face. Her fingers were delicate, skin like thin tissue and there was only a hint of tremble in them. Mrs. Grier then dropped her hand, “I don’t think we’ll see each other again. But you will be in my prayers.”

Ava sucked in a quiet breath and her eyes began to fill with tears. She moved forward and gave her friend a hug, not squeezing too tightly, just embracing the woman that had become like a surrogate grandmother to her. “I’m so sorry Diana. Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for me. I hope we will see each other again.” She looked up at her and pulled back slightly. “Start your holiday plans early, go visit your children and your grandchildren, okay?”

Mrs Grier hugged her in return, then sighed softly, “I’ve already begun my holiday plans, gifts wrapped and put in the closet. I have something for you but you have to open it as close to Christmas as you can alright?”

She made a gesture for Ava to wait and Daisy tip tapped after the older woman when she walked away to the hall closet. After some rummaging, she returned with a small flat box wrapped in gold and green paper with a neat hand tied bow of green shining ribbon. “Here, take that with you.”

Mrs. Grier held out the gift, her eyes already damp. “I hope you like it.”

Ava gently took the box, holding it to her chest for a moment as she composed herself to keep from breaking down completely. “Thank you.” She said quietly. “For everything.” She hugged her one last time, reluctant to believe this would be the last time they would see each other. “Be safe, take care of yourself and enjoy your holidays alright? I’ll be fine. I promise.”

Mrs Grier smiled again, some of the weariness leaving her features, “I will, Christmas was always my favorite holiday. And I will make that pumpkin cheesecake you were going to show me for Thanksgiving. I think you sent me the recipe by email.”

She looked at Ava, “Don’t forget the wonders of chamomile, dear. Or a nice pot of Earl Grey and some fresh shortbread.”

As she hugged her again she said softly, “And don’t let them drive the good out of you, the joy. You’re a ray of sunshine, no matter how dark the clouds.”

With a peck on Ava’s cheek, Mrs Grier pulled back and held the door, “Have a safe trip, tell Dave that I said hello. He’s a good man, my dear. I can already tell.”

Ava nodded and rubbed at her eyes with her sleeve. “I will Diana. Thank you and goodnight.” She tried to smile up at her one last time, still holding the gift to her chest. After a moment of hesitation she turned and walked away, feeling a sense of finality with each step she took away from her formerly comfortable life.

> Boone County, AR
>7.NOV.2019
>2154 CDT


Dave pocketed his phone after Ava hung up, heading for his truck. Fear for Ava weighed heavy on him, anxiety and rage clutching at his heart, but as he pulled the driver's side door open and heaved himself into the seat, he took a shuddering breath.

His big pickup sat low, weighed down with ordinance. The camper attached to the flatbed was modified years ago; he'd ripped out the small kitchenette and dining table. In their place were steel lockers and storage cabinets. He'd filled them, emptying a chunk of his basement stash for what was to come. The lockers held six rifles, three Bulgarian AK's and three HK416's, all with shortened barrels, red-dot optics, and other attachments, all chambered in 5.56x45. There was a crate of magazines for each, 10,000 rounds, and suppressors for each rifle. Six 9mm pistols, Glocks and Sigs, hung in the locker doors, and another 5,000 rounds of 9x19 rode with the rest of the ammo.

20 pounds of C4, a roll of detcord, and blasting caps sat in the other cabinet. He'd brought four plate carriers, since he didn't know if the others had any. Too big for the locker, an M249 SAW sat in a crate under the tool bench he'd installed in place of the kitchen table, with two boxes of linked 5.56 to feed it. In all, it represented a solid chunk of his personal stash, and was enough for a hefty prison sentence if he got busted with it.

He sat behind the wheel for a moment, Rufus panting beside him, then jumped out and ran back to the house. He returned a moment later with his Go-Bag of clothes and wilderness gear, a .308 hunting rifle and a small box of 200 rounds for that. Satisfied, he checked his personal carry gun for the fifth time. The weather was getting colder, and he'd strapped a covert vest on under a RealTree hoodie. Three 15-round extended mags for his compact Sig rode on his belt, and his Buck 105 hung in its sheath.

"Good as we're gonna get, buddy," he said, reaching over and giving Rufus a scratch. "C'mon. Let's roll."

He fired up the truck and pulled off down the road, fishing out his phone a moment later. He dialed Donnelley's number from memory and listened to it ring.

>LEXINGTON, KY
>BAUGHMAN RANCH
>2216…///


Donnelley was busy stuffing all of the gear he’d brought to West Virginia for his and Queen’s escape into the little Mazda truck that Frank had made Donnelley switch the Saturn with. Frank was big into never being noticed, and that included keeping a small rotating fleet of vehicles he could ditch at a moment’s notice, as well as a stack of plates he’d switch up every so often, all from different States. The Mazda’s was a set from North Carolina, and they wouldn’t hold up if they were pulled up in the system, so Frank had told Donnelley to drive careful.

Especially with the AAC Honey Badger, the TP9, VP9 manually operated pistol he was keeping for the back of Foster’s skull, and the other wholly illegal contents he’d brought piecemeal from his house in WA. He closed the tail gate just in time to feel his phone buzzing in his pocket. He checked to see who it was, and recognized Dave’s number. He lit the cigarette dangling from his lip and answered, “Are you good?”

Dave snorted into the phone. "Better than the dead Russian layin' in my woods. It's go time, brother. They just sent a fuckin' sniper after me on my own land."

“Yeah.” Was all Donnelley responded with. He had no hard words, no bravado, just a purpose. They’d hurt his daughter, and no one could keep that wrath from making Tex bubble to the surface like acid. He dragged hard off his cigarette and retrieved his flask, unscrewing the top, “How far are you from Kentucky?”

"'Bout nine hours. I already called Ava, me'n her made a go-plan we're followin'. Cookeville, Tennessee. Halfway point between my place an' hers. You'll get there first, me an' her will arrive at about the same time as each other."

“Don’t move from there until I tell you. Don’t tell me where in Cookeville you’re stayin’, don’t tell me anythin’.” Donnelley spoke with a seriousness, then pulled from his flask, “Piss in bottles if you have to.”

"Got it. I'm bringin' some shit with me. I gotta make a short detour, but it's on my way." Dave paused for a moment. "We're gonna get these motherfuckers. Right?"

Donnelley stood behind the Mazda truck, flask gripped tight and cigarette smoldering. He could hear his daughter’s voice in his ear, the fear, the confusion. He swallowed, and growled out, “No choice but to.

"Then let's do it right. We hunt 'em all down. No more reactive bullshit man. It's our turn to play offense."

>STAFFORD, VIRGINIA
>LAINE RESIDENCE
>02OCT2019
>0115...///


The knife slipped easy, honed and sharp as it was, snapping the crisp carrot like a small bone. She paused at that, holding the chef’s knife up and then shook her head, going back to the cutting, angled for long thin slices. Laine swiped the into a tupperware bowl, the clock on the oven burning bright red 1:15AM.

She had been in bed but sleep was evasive, even after weeks away from Alaska and UMBRA, her thoughts continued to turn over pieces of information. Laine was back at work, the case given to her of another murder in another place but at night her mind turned to Maria. Turned to Alaska and the memories she could not remember and the woman whose life she had taken over.

After the vegetables had been prepped, she leaned against the counter in the quiet kitchen. She reached for a bottle of red wine and a glass and went back to her study. Where Donnelley had a gun room, she had a home office dedicated to cases that were cold and never left her. Maria’s casefile was there, along with everything she had saved from Black River and Alaska. She began taking out her notes, transcriptions of interviews and began to read.

She sat on the carpet, leaning back against the couch she kept in there when she napped and could not bear the empty bed. Laine drank and reread the prison interview and compared it to the notes from Noatak.

People vanishing, nothing left but their clothes.

Laine picked up the Alaskan driver’s license and stared at the young native woman in the small picture. Her dark eyes stared back, filled with accusation and Laine wondered again what happened to her. Did she cease to exist, her body turned to dust like the bear out on the tundra. Was she somewhere in another place like the shaman had explained, there were many dimensions and he had walked those planes.

She rubbed her thumb across the printed copy of the signature of Alasie Creech. Laine looked at her phone, the temptation to call the Anchorage branch of the FBI or the local cops. Just to see if anyone one had reported her missing. Or was she just another missing native woman, another vanished sex worker.

Laine felt the familiar knot of guilt, that she had somehow unwittingly caused death to this woman and turned her into another statistic. She sighed and set the ID down, taking another drink of wine.

When she woke, Laine was still sitting at her coffee table, her head on her arms and the laptop open but the screen dark. She slowly sat up, groaning at the stiffness in her back and arms and picked up her phone, checking the time. It was nearly 4 am and she dragged herself to her bedroom, flopping into bed without changing her clothes.

Sleep teased at her, when she started to drift the memories would intrude, prodding at her to think about the case. Laine rolled over, sighing heavily, looking at her phone. She wondered briefly where Donnelley was for a late night call. She decided to let him get his sleep and turned the TV on, searching for something to watch and forget. Settling on Pretty in Pink, she finally dozed off before Ducky became too annoying.

She woke up late and rolled over, her phone in hand before she was sitting up. Laine scrolled through her contacts and spotted Ava’s number. She decided she needed company, Laine had spent the weeks just working and coming home to work more on the case from West Virginia. She was running on fumes and it was supposed to be her time off.

Tapping the screen, she could hear the other end ringing. Laine glanced at her clock, it was just after 10 am not an ungodly hour on a Saturday.

The phone rang a few times before it ceased and there was a shuffle of fabric on the other line. “Hey Laine!” Ava answered, her voice bright with delighted surprise. “How are you? It’s been a minute since we last talked!”

The sound of Ava's voice made Laine smile but it also reminded her of what had been left undone in Alaska. She took a deep breath, "I'm alright, I hit the ground running at work once I got back so I've been a little preoccupied. I don't think that helped much but I've decided to take a long weekend. I don't have any plans but we can make some. If you're not busy, I don't want to intrude if Dave's visiting."

She tossed the black comforter aside and sat at the edge of her bed, then took a drink of water from the bottle she kept there. "I was thinking about going into DC, maybe getting a fancy overpriced lunch and just seeing the sights. You know I've lived here for a few years now and hardly ever go to the city. Maybe shopping... definitely some shopping. And a spa visit if there's a chance. What do you say?"

“That sounds like a lot of fun! I’m not busy, Dave left a few days ago.” Ava said, her voice growing soft with a hint of longing as she mentioned Dave’s departure. “We’ve been texting, but I’m trying to give him space so he can have time with his son.” There was the sound of a jingling collar, likely Ava petting Thor. “Going up to DC sounds like it’d be fun, maybe we can drive by the White House and flip off Trump.”

"Sounds like a plan," Laine said, then added, "I think we both need something to occupy our time. It’s tough, I know. Being apart from that special person.”

She cleared her throat then said lightly, “I’ll swing by and pick you up, wear comfortable shoes. We’re gonna play tourist.”

“Should I wear pants or can I get away with busting out my fall outfits?” Ava asked, her tone half joking but there was some genuine excitement to it as well.

Laine chuckled softly, “You can get away with dressing up, we’re going to some decent places so it would do. You know how DC metro area is, everyone in suits. I look forward to seeing your fall wardrobe. And I’ll dress nicer than the last time you saw me. Text me your address, I’ll pick you up.”

“Alright! I can’t wait, I have so much to tell you!” Ava squeaked. “Oh and also I’ll need your gothiness for something, but we can talk about that later! See you in a bit!”

Laine raised an eyebrow, “Now you have me intrigued. See you soon.”

She ended the call and got up to shower and get dressed, deciding to dig through her closet for something more fun and dressy, something that Ava might get a kick out of. Laine stood there, realizing she needed to update her wardrobe, it was all business suits and shit she could wear to a bar to play pool or listen to some old punk band still touring. It had been that long since she had a girlfriend to hang out with, since she had moved from LA. Since the few solid female friends she had made in Quantico had either moved on or got married and never had any time. She also had to consider the chance of running into colleagues so nothing too far out there.

After another ten minutes of rummaging through the neat dark rows of clothing, she found what she wanted. It was something rare among her clothing, an outfit with color. When she finally left the townhome, she wore a black skirt and black stockings with little hearts dotting them and a pair of modest heels. The crushed velvet halter top was a deep plum, a black blazer worn over it was neatly tapered at her waist.

Traffic was light from her place to Ava’s, everyone had already gone into work. When she pulled up, Laine checked her makeup in the rear view mirror, touching up the dark burgundy lipstick. She sent a text to her friend and waited, leaning back in her car, a black Volkswagen GTI hatchback. It was clean and upholstered all in black inside and black rims to match. Laine reached for the cat eye sunglasses and slid them up, waiting for Ava to emerge.

The front door to the house opened and out stepped Ava, dressed in a soft grey dress beneath a long, dusky pink cardigan. Her legs were clad in some mauve leggings with a pair of calf high light brown boots. Her hair was left free flowing, the completely straight strands gently twitching in the breeze as she turned, bent down to give Thor some parting chin skritches, then stepped back to shut and lock the door.

She turned around and smiled at the car, waving enthusiastically as she walked down the porch toward Laine.

Laine took a moment to absorb the difference in Ava’s hair, it was lovely and shining red in the sun but she felt a pang of nostalgia for the wild curls that defied gravity on a humid day. She grinned, “Well look at you.”

She observed the younger woman closely and her grin slipped to a more secretive smile at the glow on Ava’s face. Laine flipped the lock so she could get into the car, “Wow that hair, it looks great. How many were on the team to wrangle your curls?”

Laine chuckled, her own hair had been recently dyed and was deep black, trimmed to a length just brushing her collar bone. Her blazer was hanging on the hook of the backseat so as not to get wrinkled, the velvet plum colored halter top exposing her tattooed arms.

“Uuh, at least two.” Ava said sheepishly as she settled into the car, placing her purse primly on her lap. “And thank you, it’s taken some getting used to, but I like it a lot.” She said, running her fingers through her hair. “You look great too!” She said, focusing back on Laine and looking her over. “I love your makeup.”

Laine smiled crookedly, “Thanks, I figured we could just dress up for each other since our mans are gone.”

She waited for Ava to buckle up before putting the hatchback into drive and pulling away from the curb in a sudden rush of speed. Laine eased back on the gas and cruised to the end of the block. “Love the boots, I almost wore some of mine but I figured you’d get a kick out of the tights.”

Laine pulled her skirt up to show a flash of thigh, the small hearts on her hose visible. “Cute, huh?”

She turned and got out of the neighborhood, hitting a main road that would take her to the 29 rather than get on the 66 which was always crowded. They had time to drive along the smaller roads and avoid the snarls of traffic. Reaching out to turn down the music that was already at a minimum level, Laine asked, “So, have you been back to work yet?”

“No, I work full time for the Program so I’ve basically got 4 months of leave.” Ava answered with a shrug. “I’ve spent most of my time being with Dave and just...not really doing anything.” She chuckled sheepishly. “How have you been? You went back to work right? How’s that going?”

"Oh, well, lucky you," Laine replied. "Yes, right back to work. It's not really that different from what I do in the Program. Trying to find monsters, just of the more human variety. Not exactly a break but...”

She gripped the wheel then glanced at Ava, “Look I’m gonna put this out here but once we get where we’re going to talk about good things, normal things. Our hair, our boyfriends, our favorite 18th century Romantic poets, whatever. Because I spend almost every night looking over our stuff from Alaska and West Virginia. I think about Maria every day, about Alesie...what happened. I know I need a break, I need time away from it but it festers. Like a raw wound that won’t heal.”

She blew out a breath, “Sorry, Ava. I don’t mean to bring it up but...”

Laine shook her head, it was always in the back of her mind and ready to spring into the forefront.

“...It’s alright.” Ava assured her quietly, reaching out and gently touching her arm. “I’m here for you, like you were there for me when I was falling apart in Ohio.”

Laine smiled tightly and had the urge to smoke but ignored it, the morning walks and jogs proved her lungs need for less of the bad habit. Instead she reached over, crossing the wheel to briefly touch Ava's hand on her arm. "Thanks, I'll be alright I'm sure. It's just frustrating. You know, it's one thing for a case to go cold despite our best efforts to find evidence and clues but to have work to do, leads to follow up then having it taken away for no valid reason. It's wrong. Just wrong.

She pressed the gas, the GTI picking up speed with a humming of the engine. Laine wove between traffic, flicking her blinker until finding the on ramp to 66 as the Potomac River became visible.

"I mean it, though," Laine said after a moment of silence. "You've been more helpful to me than you probably know. It's hard for me to admit when I need help. I'm supposed to be the Doc, it's not comfortable for me to feel like I'm burdening someone. But you and the team, you make it easier for me."

Laine glanced at Ava then back at the road, "And I'm grateful."

She wound through the streets of DC, a glimpse of the Washington monument could be seen as they passed office buildings. "Almost there, you're going to love this place. It's one of my favorites. They even have a non-alcoholic drink menu and a selection of tea."

“That sounds nice.” Ava smiled at the mention of an alcohol free and tea menu. She shifted in her seat so she could face Laine better. “And I’m glad that I can help you, Laine, in whatever way I can. You’re never a burden to me or to anyone else, everyone needs a chance to just relax and be genuine with someone.” She gave her what she hoped was a warm and reassuring smile. “Even a Doc.”

Laine nodded, then chuckled a little, “The old phrase ‘physician heal thyself’ doesn’t apply well to a psychologist. I don’t know, maybe some are better at it. But most I’ve met are not.”

She glanced over at Ava, “Thanks. It does feel good to get out of the office and my apartment, which basically is just another office with better furniture. I miss you and the rest, even my co-workers that used to be my team, we bonded through the job and the trauma but even now I feel the distance of what I know and can’t tell them. Like a gulf has opened up between the world and I that I can’t cross. I can only watch it.”

The restaurant in sight, Laine took a deep breath, “Well enough with my morose company, I’m done with that unless you want to talk about it. I’m ready to eat, my stomach is growling.”

Laine parked and unbuckled her seatbelt, looking over at Ava, “I hope you brought your appetite.”

The restaurant was fairly crowded but there were still open tables and Laine asked for a booth and they were led to it by the hostess, Lori, who lay menus on their table. “Anything to drink?” she asked.

Laine did not even glance at the menu, “Ice water and We Definitely Started the Fire. We’re getting the Boozy Brunch.”

The drink sounded like some sort of secret code and it reminded her of Donnelley and his spy games.

“Rum in it?”

“Not yet.”

“And you, Miss?” Lori asked.

Ava looked up from the menu after looking over the ‘Free Spirited’ selection of mocktails. “I’d like the Flowers at First Light please.” She looked over to Laine with a grin. “I have to stay on brand.”

Laine grinned at that, “It’s a good choice.”

Lori smiled at both and said she would give them a few minutes with the menu. When she left, Laine leaned forward a little, “I already know what I’m getting but take your time. You know, Alex and I used to come here a lot. Especially on weekends, they have picnic meals you can buy to go.”

She glanced at the brunch menu then out the window, “I don’t think you met him, did you?”

Laine looked at Ava, “He’s a forensic pathologist, he helped us with the autopsy.”

Ava blinked and frowned in thought for a moment. “He helped with what autopsy? Maria’s?” She shook her head. “No, I don’t remember meeting an Alex, it sounds like it was before my time.”

She nodded, “Yes, Maria’s. Dr. Bakker helped the Bureau a lot as he was a forensic pathologist with Prince William county. He taught at the Academy, too. We dated for about three years until we split ways, but it was just one of those things where we just couldn’t move on to the next step, we were on different paths.”

Laine looked at Ava and made an apologetic gesture, “Anyway, long story short I trusted him to do the work and keep his mouth shut. He did both. He took the money rather than join up and moved in with his new fiance. But that’s just more information than you ever probably wanted to know about someone not even part of my life anymore.”

She huffed a chuckle and spotted Lori loading their drinks up. “If you have any questions, I think I’ve tried everything on the menu.”

“Oh, I’m good, I already decided to get the lobster omelette.” Ava said, setting down her menu and focusing her attention on Laine. “I’m glad everything worked out for you two, you and this Alex. You found happiness on your different paths even if it wasn’t with each other.” She smiled.

"You're right," Laine smiled, a full grin at the thought of Donnelley.

Lori approached and took their order, Ava’s omelette and Laine’s wild mushroom toast before returning shortly with a basket of warm doughnuts. Some were filled with a huckleberry jam and some had maple glaze and bits of thick bacon stuck to the surface and others had more fragrant spicy scents. They were no Dunkins.

Laine took a huckleberry and bit into it, setting it on the saucer and licking her thumb of the thin icing. “We’re supposed to see each other soon but who knows, it’s all on his schedule. But tell me about living with Dave. How was that?”

Ava’s eyes brightened as she set down her maple glaze donut, forgoing the omelette for the moment to indulge in her favorite vice; sweets. “It was great!” She said once she finished chewing through her doughnut. “We took it easy, did some gun training and exercised and, um, well,” She flushed and rubbed her hands over her napkin. She smiled. “He, uh, said he loved me and I told him I loved him.”

Laine grinned at that, leaning forward on her arms, “Finally! I’m so happy for you both. It feels good doesn’t it? It makes things so much better yet...honestly it’s worth the cost that may come. I am glad you’re happy, it feels easier to share it.”

She sipped the cocktail, the mingling of flavors ending with the heat of ginger. “Dave seems like a wonderful man, and he’s very easy on the eyes.”

Laine raised her glass to Ava, “Nice catch.”

The food came without too much of a wait and they took their time eating and talking. Laine asked, “What ever happened with the dog? And how’s your cat? I never really had a pet. My mom pretended to be allergic.”

Ava giggled and rose up her own glass, clinking it against Laine’s. “Thanks, we’re really happy with the development. Though we haven’t discussed what will happen next in our relationship but...We’re happy.” She sipped her own drink, enjoying the refreshing mingling flavors of the strawberry and mint.

She pulled a confused face at the concept of someone pretending to be allergic but answered the question, “Prince went to live on a farm.” She paused and added quickly, “An actual farm! He’s living on the grounds for a stable and he’s going to be trained to run along carriages for historical reenactments since that’s what dalmations were originally bred for.” She beamed. “Dave and I visited him before Dave left, he seemed really happy though he nearly knocked me over when he saw me.” She chuckled and picked up her fork to dig into her omelette. “I started following the farm on instagram just to make sure he’s doing okay. Thor is, of course, relieved to not have a giant hyper dog running around his domain.”

Laine smiled warmly, “As long as you’re both happy, just enjoy it and enjoy each other. That’s what we’re doing.”

She had a mouthful of the egg and garlicky mushrooms when Ava mentioned the farm and her eyes widened. Swallowing her food, she said, “That’s really lucky. Virginia has such cool places like that, I’m happy for a good ending. We don’t get so many but that’s a victory.”

After a few more bites, Laine asked, “As for shopping today, did you have anything particular in mind? I know a few clothes places but I don’t know how much you would like them.”

“I’m up for wherever you like to go, who knows I might find something I’ll like.” Ava grinned before digging into her omelette, humming at the flavors.

Her eyes brightened as though remembering something and pointed her fork at Laine. “I almost forgot, I need your help or your expertise on something! My birthday is coming up and it actually falls close to Halloween, so Dave and I were talking about having a Halloween shindig and inviting the UMBRA and THUNDER crews.” She paused. “Okay he said UMBRA, but I want to invite Queen and I’ll invite Ghost and Poker too. I don’t expect them to show up, but I don’t want to be rude and exclude them.” She shrugged. “But I thought it would be fun.”

Laine raised her brow with interest, “Remember, we’re THUMBRA now. As much as they don’t want it, both our teams are really too small to be functional on their own. I think we could make it work but looking at it from a top down perspective, I can see why they merged us.”

She paused another thought making her examine that idea but she said nothing, instead continuing “I’m sure an invitation will make them feel included, even if they don’t go.”

Laine did not sound regretful at all that they might not show up. Queen would probably be alright, likely he would be trashed and loud. Ghost was starting to bother her, something about his outburst against their teams being united and a few other moments she had stored away. Nothing she could define yet but it made her pay attention to him. And Poker, he was someone Laine would avoid if she could, she had caught him looking and did not like his expression. Laine kept this all to herself and encouraged Ava, “We have to do that, make sure that the team doesn’t naturally fall into the two divides.”

She cut a piece of the mushroom and egg toast and pushed it to the edge of her plate, “Want to try it? The mushrooms are sublime.”

“Sure, thanks!” Ava picked up the small piece and popped it into her mouth, humming again at the taste. “So,” She said after swallowing. “I’ve never thrown a party, let alone a Halloween party. Usually my tradition is to decorate my house a little and then wear a witches hat to give out candy. Then spend the night sipping on tea or soup and watching anything Halloween themed but not horror based.” She paused. “Except Coraline, that’s my favorite horror movie. Anyway, I was wondering if maybe you would be interested in helping me plan the party?” She asked slowly before smiling hopefully at Laine.

Laine finished her drink, setting down the glass then clasped her hands, “I would love to help you plan and execute a badass Halloween party, especially for your birthday. We can definitely get something going. So Coraline, is that the sort of theme you’d want? Rather than classic horror gross stuff. Something cute but still spooky. I’m already getting ideas.”

Lori stopped by and cleared the empty plates and asked about refills, Laine asking for a Pretty in Pink. She took another doughnut, pulling it apart, “I’m assuming it’s a party at night, is it going to be a costume party? Are you going to serve drinks or keep it nonalcoholic?”

Ava’s eyes brightened as Laine took to the idea and she smiled broadly. “It’s definitely going to be a costume party and we can do alcohol and nonalcoholic drinks! There’s actually this show coming out and I was thinking about dressing up as…”

>...///

“That was the best brunch I’ve ever had.” Ava sighed as they walked out of the restaurant and back to Laine’s car. “I might have to bring Dave to that place, he’d love it.” She fought off a yawn as the food coma tried to set in and she focused on Laine. “So what’s next for our Girl’s Day?”

Laine patted her stomach and sighed, "You should I think he'd like it, they have some wild game sometimes for dinner. And yeah, I felt like I needed to make up for the Waffle House disappointment."

She grinned and unlocked the doors to the GTI. "Next is doing some clothes shopping, I need some new warm clothes for winter and probably outdoorsy stuff. You know, just in case."

She got into the car and buckled up, looking over at Ava. "Alaska reminded me I don't know shit about hiking or anything to survive outside longer than 24 hours. If that. I've never been into that, I'm a city girl at heart. But the places the Program leads us, we need sturdy boots rather than cute heels."

“Yeah, Dave wants to take me into the mountains to learn survival skills.” Ava sighed, buckling herself in as well. “I mean, I’m excited to spend some alone time with him and I love nature. It’s just extreme camping is...extreme.” She chuckled sheepishly. “The cons of being in love with a Mountain Man.”

Laine started the car and backed out of the parking spot, glancing over her shoulder. The mention of Alaska made her almost expect to feel the thump of a Russian thug under her tire. It was momentary then like a cloud passing it vanished from thought.

"I can imagine," she said, "Donnelley wants to take me to Texas but no mention of camping, so that's nice. But I do have to get past my ignorance and mistrust of myself in nature. Maybe I'll borrow Dave for a weekend."

Laine glanced at Ava as she pulled to a red light, "For a crash course in wilderness training."

“There’s no one better to teach you.” Ava grinned. “So, clothes shopping? I’d be up for that, I could get a new sweater dress or two.” She looked out at the street as they drove by and frowned. “And...maybe a new vest to replace the one I...wore to that mission in Alaska.” She looked over to Laine. “Dave and I finally got around to dealing with the clothes.”

“Please don’t say crash,” Laine said, shaking her head, “I’ll probably slip somewhere and fall down the side of a mountain. But yes, that’s the idea. If he’s alright with it, and you too.”

Her thoughts flicked to Donnelley and his opinion of her spending a weekend alone with another man. He would have to get over it, it was Dave afterall. Solid, loyal, dependable Dave who adored Ava, he would be the only one that would probably get a pass from Donnelley. Maybe. Laine rolled her eyes at his territorial tendencies but her attention was snatched back by the mention of a vest.

Laine looked at her, “I know it must have been difficult. I saw how much that vest meant to you, I know it meant a lot to Donnelley and I when we made it. But it’s just clothes, alright? It can be replaced.”

The light changed to green and she pulled forward. Keeping her eyes on the road she continued, “Seeing the blood...the proof of what happened. It’s still hard to grasp sometimes. I know it happened, I saw the evidence but not remembering it makes it like some nightmare that fades as soon as you wake up.”

Waking up in Alesie Creech’s bed and what that meant. Dulane had mentioned piles of empty clothes where people once were. A shiver touched her skin and she cleared her throat, wondering briefly if Ava ever thought about the biker who she replaced.

“Dave remembers, Donnelley to some extent as well since he was the last one down,” Laine said, gripping the wheel tight for a moment. “We’re the lucky ones, Ava. We don’t have to remember losing those we love.”

“I know.” Ava said, her voice soft as she looked out the window. After a moment she fished out her cellphone and shot Dave a text. ‘Hey, out with Laine for brunch and shopping. I hope you’re having a good day, I love you.’ She finished the text with a smiling emoji surrounded by hearts and put her phone away.

She sighed quietly and turned back to Laine with an attempt at a smile. “Dave and I managed to salvage most of the patches, cleaned the blood off them and everything. Maybe we can pick up some new ones and a vest?”

She grimaced slightly at the thought of Ava's blood all over those cute patches Laine had picked out at the boutique in Idaho. "Sure thing, we'll get it together again, maybe get some new patches. That's what battle vests are for, to evolve with experiences."

“Yeah and we’re certainly getting a lot of experiences lately.” She said with a huff of a chuckle. “But I do love the idea and it made me so happy to get it from you and Donnelley. I’m just sorry that not all of it survived.”

"We did though," Laine said quietly. "That's what matters. But we'll make your vest the cutest rad little thing ever."

She checked the GPS for the directions to CityCenterDC, a huge shopping center close to downtown. Weaving through traffic the little Volkswagen made quick work of it and soon they were rolling into an underground parking garage.

Laine stepped out and once Ava was clear she locked up the car. She glanced around the shadows, listening hard to the cavernous sounds of engine idles echoing off the concrete. She reached and felt the gun in her waistband holster which she covered with the fitted blazer.

"Alright, once we see the mall map we'll make our game plan," Laine gestured for Ava to follow as they made their way into the dazzling bright lit shopping mall.

Laine blinked to let her eyes adjust to the bright artificial light. "Last stop will be the shoe store, since it's the heavy boots. Let's get started, you said sweater dresses?"

Ava nodded, glancing down at her purse when her phone chimed. She fished it out and smiled when she saw that Dave had texted her back. ’On the mountain. Mal's coming out soon. Love you, have fun!’

She texted back a heart and a pine tree before tucking her phone away. “Yeah, some sweater dresses and maybe we can find some stuff for the party since we’re here.”

>...///

After a few hours, Laine dragged herself back to the car after the last stop at the craft store, her feet hurting after not taking her own advice about shoes. The bags and boxes filled the hatchback and the last Michael’s shopping bags were stuffed along the sides.

Laine checked her phone for the time and turned to Ava, “We’re pretty much done, anything special we couldn’t find we can order online. It’s spa time.”

The drive took them to Alexandria, to the Lorien Hotel, a luxurious place that she normally was out of her way but the website sold her on the expensive massage and body treatment. After so many nights in shitty motels for the Program, the stress and bad fast food they deserved the spoiling.

“Look, don’t freak out on the menu, I got this,” Laine said, “I have a little savings account for things like this. I used to do girl days with my friend Mariana but she’s married now and in San Francisco. You don’t mind replacing her do you?”

She smiled at Ava, then pulled up to the valet parking. The spa and resort in the hotel was immaculate and clean, with the typical calming decor of water fountains tinkling and soothing music. Laine checked them in, handing the debit card over to pay for the package and quickly stuffed the receipt in her purse.

A hostess came around and smiled, “Welcome to Kimpton Lorien Spa, we have lockers near the steam room to put away purses and phones.”

Ava shifted on her feet with mild discomfort, her cheeks flushed as Laine insisted on paying for the spa package. Even though she said it was alright, she still felt...unbalanced and unused to being on the receiving end on such a luxurious gift. She smiled at the hostess and turned to Laine. “How about we call this my birthday and Christmas present combo?”

Laine looked her over, pausing for a moment as she observed Ava. “Sure, we can call it that,” she said, “Don’t stress about it, it’s something I always put aside anyway. We deserve to be taken care of, even if it’s just some hot oil and flower wraps.”

The hostess waved them towards the sauna to start off and Laine glanced at Ava’s newly straightened hair, “This will be the ultimate test.”

Ava looked at Laine in confusion until she noticed her staring at her hair and realization clicked. Ava’s eyes widened and she put her hands almost protectively on top of her head and her nice, straight hair.
>FAIRFAX COUNTY, VIRGINIA
>AVA RESIDENCE
>21SEP2019
>0915...///


Ava panted as she wiped the sweat dripping down her brow away with the back of her hand. She settled her hands on the top of her head, glancing up and over at Dave with a grin as they slowed their hard run to a sedate walk, cooling down after pressing themselves to their limit on their run.

It had been almost a week since they got back to her place, after tearfully seeing Prince off to a new and happy home, they had settled into a lazy routine for a few days. They did little to nothing, except spend time together. Dave napped, she played a few video games, they did some grocery shopping to stock her cabinets back up. The most time consuming and labor intensive activity they did was the day Ava showed Dave how to make a cheesecake.

It still made her giggle thinking a man capable of turning fertilizer into an explosive compound had been perplexed by the chemistry of whipping up the perfect fluffy egg whites.

As nice as it was to put Alaska behind them and settle into a normal routine as a couple sharing a space, it had to come to an end. Alaska had been an eye opening experience for the both of them and as much as Ava hated it, she had to admit that she could no longer sit passively on the sidelines. The nature of their work wouldn’t allow it.

So over the past three days they had been hitting the ground running on their training regiment. They had spent most of a day at the shooting range, brushing up on her reload and reaction times as well as doing general PT. Though they had started to incorporate more dexterous exercises to, once again, hone her reaction time.

It would have been a grim process and she likely would have dwelt more on just WHY she had to do this in the first place if it wasn’t for Dave being by her side.

“What do you think?” She asked him once her breathing had finally settled down enough to speak. “Good run this morning?”

"Good as a run ever is," Dave said, grinning to show he was just playing. He shifted his weight, flexing first one knee and then the other, wincing as they popped. He wasn't old, but years in the mountains had put some mileage on his joints. "Whatcha feelin' for breakfast?"

Dave was an early bird, despite his naps throughout the day, and he'd happily taken over breakfast duties so that Ava could catch a little more sleep during the first week of their time together. While it didn't matter so much now that they'd started running in the mornings, he'd kept up the habit. She returned the favor by making lunch, and dinner was handled by one or the other depending on what they felt like eating.

Ava hummed in thought as they turned a corner onto her street. “How about some eggs and toast? I’ve also got that bowl of fruit in the fridge we should finish off.”

Dave gave her a look. "I'm addin' bacon and sausage to that, cuz ain't no way I can keep myself alive off just fruit and toast." He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the top of her head. "I'll help ya with the fruit though."

She laughed, beaming happily at the kiss. “Alright, alright, I’ll eat some bacon and sausage.” She put her hands on her hips as they drew closer up to her house, happy to be closer to a shower. “So, what’s the plan after breakfast, coach? Are we hitting the gun range today or the gym?”

"Gun range," Dave said firmly. "We both gotta keep puttin' rounds out with our pistols. And I wanna rent one of them sub-guns and start you learnin' that."

Her eyes widened. “Oh, I don’t know.” She said nervously. “I’m barely comfortable with my pistol and it’s small and...manageable.”

"You'll be okay," Dave said confidently. "Same kind of bullet, but a bit bigger gun. More accurate, more ammo in the mag, and the bullet's movin' faster, too."

He reached over and gave the back of her neck a squeeze. "I'd never make ya try somethin' I thought ya weren't ready for, sugar."

Ava still looked uncertain but she nodded. “Okay, I’ll give it a shot.” She paused for a moment then smiled and giggled. “Hehe, shot. I wasn’t even trying for that one.”

Dave broke into a grin, then leaned down and gave her a quick, comically loud kiss. "C'mon, I'm starvin'. If I don't get some food in me I'm gonna fall over."

“Can’t have that, I’m not strong enough to carry you.” She laughed and trotted ahead a bit to her house, past the white fence that enclosed Mrs Grier’s yard and flower garden. “You can get breakfast started if you want,” She said, fishing her keys out of her pocket and unlocking the door. Thor came running up as she stepped inside and she bent down to give his head some skritches. “I’m going to stretch out and then take a shower.”

Dave quirked an eyebrow at the thought of a team-shower, but then shook the idea off. His knees hurt, and more importantly he was hungry. Maybe after the range. He closed the door behind them, paid his due respects to Thor, and then headed for the kitchen.

"Have it ready soon," he said, brushing his fingers through her hair as he passed. “Make sure ya come hungry."

She smiled at the touch and watched him head into the kitchen. “Oh I’m sure I will be.” She then went to the living room area, pushing the coffee table away from the center rug and then went through her post-run stretches. Maybe making it so Dave could see her butt as she bent over, maybe that was just a coincidence.

Quickly she finished and headed for her bedroom, to get some more comfortable and less sweaty clothing on. Thor padded along beside her. He had been remarkably clingy ever since she got back and Prince was taken to his new home. Not that she minded, but it did get to be an issue when they were in bed and Thor was trying to snuggle up with her and got between her and Dave. Or laid in such a way that his tail constantly rested on Dave’s face. Or his entire backend, on one unfortunate night.

Ava stepped into her room and went to her closet, pulling it open and looking inside for something to wear. As she was pondering her wardrobe, she felt Thor brush past her leg and looked down, seeing him sniffing at the black, taped shut bag she had stuck in the corner of her closet and tried to forget about. It was the very same black bag she had gotten back from the Program along with the rest of her belongings. It contained the clothing she wore on that disaster of a mission.

The clothing she had died in.

She shivered, but continued to stare down at it, as though expecting it to start moving on its own. Like a body bag that held something that still yet lived.

Another shudder raced up her spine and she bent down, gently tugging Thor out of her closet and shutting the door. She turned and put her back to it to keep it shut and to lean against, eyes squeezed shut as a tightness settled into her chest and a cold sweat started to break out along her hairline.

Dave walked into the room a few moments later, a spatula in his hand.

“Hey, I’m makin’ some eggs, you want ‘em scrambled, or…” He trailed off, frowning. “Hey, sugar, you okay?”

He walked up and put a hand on her cheek. “You alright, sugar?”

Ava started and looked up at Dave, seeing him there and feeling his hand on her cheek bringing her back to the here and now. “Hey Dave, um, yeah.” She said quietly, running her hand over her face to wipe away the sweat. “Just…” She trailed off and shrugged. “I saw that bag with my...stuff in it.” She cracked open the closet door and peered inside at the black bag wrapped cube. “I’ve been...kinda avoiding it.”

He looked over her shoulder at the closet door. “Yeah, I could understand that,” he said. He fought not to grimace, not to show his own discomfort at the situation. “Well...There ain’t no time limit, ya know? Whenever you’re ready. Or never, if that’s how ya feel. Nobody’s gonna make you open that bag.”

“I can’t just...leave it there though.” She said, shutting the closet door and leaning back against it. She frowned down at the floor. “I think it’s time, I’ve put it off too long.” She raised her eyes up to look into his face. “After breakfast, will you...sit with me?”

Dave smiled and stroked his thumb over her cheek, then pulled her into a hug.

“Course I will,” he said, squeezing her tight. “Let’s get some coffee and some food in us, an’ then we’ll handle it. You an’ me.”

She shut her eyes and sighed, wrapping her arms around him and returning the squeeze. “Okay, we’ll do that. Thank you Dave.”

“Any time.” He kissed the top of her head and held her close for a few moments. “I uh...I like holdin’ you, but I do have food on the stove. We probably oughta go take a look at it, ‘fore I burn your place down.”

“Oh,” Ava stepped back and laughed. “Go, go finish making breakfast, I need to take my shower anyway.” She made a ‘shooing’ motion with her hands. “And, uh, I’ll have sunny side up eggs.”

“Dunno why you’re kickin’ me out for that, but alright,” he grinned. “Sunny side up it is.”

>...///

Ava sipped at her tea, a nice blend of Earl Grey and lavender instead of her usual sugary bomb of coffee. She was anxious enough as it was, she didn’t need the extra boost of sugar and caffeine to make it worse.

The curtains were drawn shut around the living room to make sure no one accidentally saw them looking at bloody clothing, casting the whole room in a muted shadow as sunlight tried it’s best to pierce through the fabric blocking the windows.

She was waiting for Dave to finish up in the shower, hovering in the kitchen with her tea and staring at the black bag of folded clothing sitting on her coffee table. Just picking it up and moving it had been enough to raise the hairs on the back of her neck.

She took another sip of her tea and tore her eyes away from it, keeping her breathing steady while she waited for Dave. Once Dave was there, she would feel more stable, feel more safe.

Dave walked in a few moments later, freshly showered and dressed for the day in jeans and a white t-shirt. He crossed the kitchen to pour a cup of coffee, running a hand across Ava's shoulders as he passed.

"So," he said as he filled his mug. He forced some levity into his voice, keeping his tone relaxed. Ava needed a rock, and he intended to provide it. "Are you ready?"

He smiled at her as he pulled a chair around the table next to hers, and nodded at the seat beside him. "I'll be right here, sugar. The whole time."

Ava smiled at him, walking over and taking the seat next to him. She reached out and took his hand, giving it a squeeze. “I’m as ready as I’m going to be. You sure this won’t be hard for you too?” She asked, a line of worry creasing her brow.

"I'm sure." He rubbed his thumb across her knuckles, taking pains to keep his own worries hidden. In truth his heart was already hurting. The thought of the bag's contents scared him half to death, made his stomach twist and his mouth dry. The thought of what this moment would do to Ava was even worse. But it was necessary. They had to confront this together.

Dave kissed her hand and then released it, taking a gentle grip on her shoulder and nodding. "Whenever you're ready, sugar."

She took in a breath and nodded to him, turning to look down at the wrapped up bag of clothing. Steadying her nerves, she ripped off the tape sealing it shut and began to unwrap the plastic. The first piece of clothing she saw was the vest that Donnelley and Laine had so thoughtfully covered with patches they knew she would like.

She sucked in a sharp breath as she saw the vest and many of the patches covered with dry and crusted blood. Her blood.

There was so much of it.

Ava’s eyes began to tear up and she felt her throat tightened. “Oh...no.” She whispered, reaching out to touch one of the bloody patches. “I...I forgot I was wearing that.” Tears started to stream down her face and she took in a shaking breath. “They worked so hard on it.” Her voice cracked and she turned to press her face against Dave’s chest.

Dave wrapped Ava in his arms, squeezing her tight. His own eyes burned, the sight of her blood nearly bringing tears, but he swallowed them for Ava’s sake.

“I know, sugar,” he whispered, stroking a hand through her hair. “I know. I’m here.”

She cried into his shirt, leaning into his warmth and comfort. She was heartbroken to see the vest crafted for her out of the kindness of her friend’s hearts ruined. That combined with the shock at the sight of so much blood…

Ava sobbed for a minute or so before finally sucking in a deep breath and slowly pulling back from Dave. “Okay,” She said shakily, her voice raw and face flushed with tears glistening on her cheeks. “Thank you Dave.” She sniffed, rubbing at her eyes to try and rub away some of the tears.

Dave cupped her cheek and kissed her forehead. “Always,” he said. His thumb stroked her cheek. “Are you...Can ya keep goin’? We can stop.”

“No,” She said, leaning into his hand and turned to kiss his palm. “I can keep going.” She picked up her cooling tea and drained it. She looked at the vest and blinked back the tears. “Maybe, we can save the patches?” She asked Dave, gently picking up the vest to better inspect the state of the patches. “They can be cleaned, right?”

“I bet we can, yeah,” Dave nodded. “I’ll do it for ya. I know some tricks for gettin’ blood outta clothes.” He paused. “I mean, I learned ‘em huntin’ in the mountains. Deer bleed.”

Ava nodded, somewhat distracted as she looked down at the vest, rubbing her thumb over one of the blood encrusted patches. “I...Don’t want to keep the clothes.” She said, sniffing as she looked into the bag at the shirt inside that was also covered in dried, old blood. “What do we do with them?”

"I'll burn 'em," Dave told her. He rested his chin on her shoulder, his arms still wrapped tight around her. "We'll get the patches you want, and then I'll take care of the rest, okay?"

“By yourself?” She asked, looking up at him with a frown. “Are you sure?”

"I'm sure," he said. He gave her a soft kiss and smiled, squeezing her a little. "Might be it'll help me deal with some stuff, too."

“Okay.” She said with a slight, hesitant smile. “I’ll try to salvage the patches and…You get a fire going?”

"Works for me." With a final kiss on the forehead he rose. "An' I'm thinkin' pizza tonight. I need junk and beer after this." Dave gave her shoulder a squeeze and then left, heading for the fireplace to begin his task.

“You and me both.” She smiled at him as he got up before looking back down at the patches and her smile faded. She took a deep breath and got up to fetch a pair of scissors to get to work.

>FAIRFAX COUNTY, VIRGINIA
>AVA RESIDENCE
>24SEP2019
>...///


Dave sighed and leaned against the wall, nodding his head while he surveyed his work. For days Ava had been talking about converting her office into a studio, somewhere she could work on getting back into her painting. She’d bought Ikea furniture and stacked it in the corner, and there it had sat, waiting for the two of them to “get a chance” to work on it. Then she’d announced that she was getting her hair done, and Dave had seen his opportunity.

Over the last few hours he’d put together a desk, easel, and chair, stocking each with some brushes and paints he’d picked up from the local hobby store. A vase of peonies sat on the desk; they were Ava’s favorite flowers, and he thought they might make for a good first subject. Against the wall was a small futon, and he’d moved her book shelf to a more advantageous spot out of the way of the paints before restocking it.

Dave nodded with satisfaction. Overall it looked good, and while he was sure they would make some minor changes on the layout, it was something big off Ava’s plate that would make her happy. That was the main goal, after all.

From one of the discarded boxes, where he had been contentedly enjoying his new lair, Thor suddenly jumped out and trotted out of the combination office and art studio.

A moment later came the sound of the front door opening. “I’m back!” Ava called out. “Dave? You home?”

Dave grinned and stepped into the hall, his thumbs hooked in his pockets and not a small amount of pride evident on his face. “Yeah, c’mere!” He called. “Spare room!”

There was a brief pause before Ava entered the hallway, a nervous smile on her face as she ran a hand through her long, now completely straight red hair.

“Hey,” She said sheepishly. “What do you think? Does it look nice?”

Dave beamed when he saw her hair, his smile broad. “Sure does,” he said, reaching out and running his own fingers through the silky strands. “I think you’re gorgeous, sugar.” He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. “C’mere, I want you to see somethin’.”

Ava’s smile widened even as her cheeks flushed. “Thank you, I really like it too.” She perked up at the mention of a surprise. “Oh? What do you want to show me?”

She stepped up to the doorway and looked inside, her eyes widening as she saw the painting easel in the middle of the room, a comfortable stool and the little stand she ordered from IKEA put together. Complete with new bottles of paints and new paintbrushes.

She stepped further inside and her eyes landed on the soft pink peonies on her desk, right in view of the easel and catching the light from the window nicely.

She turned to Dave with a bright smile. “I love it!” She said, wrapping her arms around him in a firm embrace. “Did you do all of this by yourself?”

He held her close, his heart soaring at her pleasure with the surprise. He shrugged. “I mean, Thor did his part. Supervised, made sure I was putin’ things together right.” He gave her a squeeze. “I’m glad you like it.”

“I love it Dave,” She said, looking up at him with bright eyes and a smile full of warmth and affection. “Thank you so much. I,” she started to say something, but stumbled over the words for a moment. “I’m happy, you make me feel very happy, Dave.”

He grinned, feeling a flutter in his stomach as he squeezed her tight. “I’m glad, sugar,” he said, leaning down to place his forehead on hers. “I’m happy, too.” He kissed her, his fingers running through her hair.

She smiled and leaned into the kiss, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pulling him closer; enjoying the intimacy and comfort of the embrace.

Dave held her for a while, content just to have her in his arms. After a moment he kissed her neck and then nuzzled her cheek. “So...Bedroom?”

Ava laughed softly at that, her skin flushing with delight as he kissed her neck. “It’s the hair isn’t it?” She teased.

He laughed and picked her up, grinning. “Lil’ bit.” He kissed her again, more deeply this time.

Ava returned the kiss, her arms wrapped around his shoulders. She pulled back with a grin. “I think the bedroom sounds like a good idea.”

With a laugh Dave turned, carrying her out into the hall and towards the bedroom door.


>VIRGINIA BEACH
>.25MILES FROM ATLANTIC FUN PARK
>28SEP2019
>...///


The sea salt tinged breeze swept over Ava as she opened up the driver’s side door and stepped out of the car. She smiled at the late afternoon sky filled with soft grey clouds, the rolling of the ocean waves and the golden sands of the beach. Though it was still September, there was a chill in the air brought on by the wind over the water and she enjoyed the briskness of it as it reminded her that autumn was on its way. But she still adjusted the soft cream knitted cardigan she was wearing to block out some of the cold. “Looks like we’ve got a bit of a walk ahead of us.” She said looking over to Dave as she saw him exit the car.

"Never minded a walk," Dave beamed, circling the car to put his arm around her waist. The sleeves of his trademark flannel were rolled down in deference to the chill. "Feels nice out here."

“It does,” Ava smiled, grabbing her purse from the car before shutting the door. She locked the car and slipped her purse over her shoulder before turning to look up at Dave. “Want to walk on the sand? Recreate a bit of our first date?”

"Sure do," he said lightly. He steered them towards the beach, his eyes scanning the parking lot beneath the brim of his hat as he did so. He made a mental inventory of the people nearby. What they were wearing, what they were driving. "Then maybe some of that boardwalk food?"

He grinned and patted his belly. "Need to get back up in the mountains soon, put some miles on, or we won't be seein' my abs again."

She laughed and nudged him in the abs with her elbow. “Oh stop, we can see your abs just fine. You ate half a cheesecake in like 3 days, I think you can handle some corndogs and funnel cake.”

"It was really good cheesecake," he sighed wistfully. "Corn dogs sound good, though. Or a big ol' turkey leg."

“Good thing we’ve got a walk to help us out.” She chuckled, leaning her head against his chest as they stepped onto the sands of the beach, still a little warm from the sun that had been shining earlier that day.

At the mention of the mountains, she sighed and wrapped her arm around him to give him a squeeze. “I’m going to miss you, when you leave.” She said softly, looking up at him.

"I'll miss you too, sugar," Dave said. "But it won't be for too long. Ain't nothin' keepin' me away from you."

“I know.” She smiled up at him. “Besides, you need to go home and see your son. I’ve been kind of hogging you and I feel bad about that.”

"See my boy, see my grampa, see my dog," Dave said happily. "And my mountain. Missed them trees."

“Yeah, my quiet suburban street really isn’t your style.” Ava said, looking out toward the water and watching the waves crash into the shore as they walked. “Thor will miss you too, he really likes taking naps with you.” She added with a grin.

"Well, tell him I'll be back, though I know his naps won't be the same without his tail in my face." Dave laughed and squeezed her hip. "I swear, there's a dozen ways he could lay, but it's gotta be on my chest, and it's gotta be ass-first."

“He just does that with you, I don’t know why.” She laughed, pressing her head back against his chest. She lapsed into silence after that, simply enjoying the contact and taking in the scenery as they walked.

There were other people out and about, enjoying the beach in the late afternoon, but they weren’t an intrusive presence at the moment.

She looked up at Dave, watching the breeze blow through his long hair and ruffle his beard. It was a far cry from how she met him, he had had a bit of a scruff to him then but now...Well, she was hardly the same as she had been back then as well.

She mentally shook her head, reflecting in bewilderment how much had changed in the span of a few months. She still felt like herself but she knew there were ways she had changed. Good ways, but there were also bad ways...

She pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind and focused on Dave next to her and the beach around them.

>...///

The hours seemed to pass by all too quickly as they relaxed and enjoyed themselves in the mild controlled chaos of the small boardwalk amusement park. They ate, with Dave burning through 4 corndogs, a turkey leg and a Belgian Waffle and Ava enjoying a hot dog with a side of curly fries and a funnel cake. Then it had been time to burn off the deep fried foods.

Dave played the shooting gallery game and managed to win Ava a large alpaca plushie in a bow tie and a little lilac hat she had been not so subtlety ogling with desire. Ava tried to return the favor with the dart game and managed to win a small plushie for him. It was about the size of a hand and was a little white and grey speckled owl with a red plaid lumberjack hat. Likely earned more from the game operator admiring her determination than any actual skill in the game.

Next came the rides, with Dave making the daring choice of riding a mechanical bull not long after eating. He managed to hang on just past the 60 second challenge and walked away, proudly, with another little stuffed toy. This one, a cartoonish pile of swirly poop with bull horns, a bull snout and an angry face.

Ava had decided to give the rock climbing wall a try and had a surprisingly fun time scaling the plastic rocks. She didn’t make it to the top, but she still had fun climbing it and celebrated making the halfway point with a small bag of kettle corn.

Just as they were getting ready to call it a day, they both decided to ride the ferris wheel before leaving. The clouds had partially cleared away and so they could start to see the sunset over the ocean in the last waning rays of daylight.

Ava adjusted her purse as an empty gondola car came to rest in front of them on the platform for the ride. She smiled up at him, with her pillow sized alpaca plushie in one hand and the bag of half eaten kettle corn in the other. “Shall we?”

He smiled in answer and pulled open the door, ushering her in with a hand on the small of her back. Then he climbed in with her, taking the seat beside her and putting his arm around her.

Ava beamed up at him, setting her stuff next to her before snuggling against his chest to combat the growing chill in the air as the ferris wheel began to move and lift them up. She rested her head on his shoulder and watched as they climbed up higher, the sunsetting over the ocean starting to come into view.

She let the comfortable silence stretch for them as they rode up. When they finally came to a stop, she looked up at him with a small smile. “I’ve got something for you.” She said, reaching for her purse and flipping it open to pull out a small gift wrapped box, about the size of her palm. “Wait,” She frowned and dug in her purse another second before slapping a blue bow on top of the box. “There. It fell off.” She smiled again and held it up to him. “But, here.”

Dave chuckled and took the package, removing the bow. He grinned and stuck it to the brim of his hat before unwrapping the box.

"What we got here?" He asked as he removed the paper, looking down at the small pocket-sized picture frame it contained.

Inside the thick, silver-edged acrylic was a picture from their hike in Seattle, taken on a hilltop. Dave remembered asking another hiker to take it for them. In the photo he sat on the grass, with Ava leaning back against his chest, his arms around her. She was wearing his hat, laughing beneath the oversized brim as he leaned forward to plant a comical kiss on her cheek. Prince sat beside them, a doggy grin on his face.

He felt his throat catch, and he turned it over.

I'm okay, and can't wait to go on another hike! Ava

Dave blinked away tears and leaned over to wrap his arms tightly around her. "It's perfect," he said, his voice hoarse. "Thank you."

Ava wrapped her arms around him, pressing her face into his neck and holding him. “I’m glad. I...I know you have to leave soon and I just...I didn’t want you waking up and wondering if I was...still here.” She said, her own voice growing hoarse as her throat tightened. “I wanted you to know I was okay.”

He squeezed her tight, not quite managing to hold his tears. But the ferris wheel was moving, and they were alone, and he didn't care. Rather than wipe his eyes he kissed her cheek.

"I love you, sugar," he said quietly.

Ava’s breath caught at the admission, her chest welling with multiple emotions as her heart beat fluttered with adrenaline. She gripped onto him tighter as the feelings in her chest whirled together, a storm of happiness and affection mingled with an instinctual response of anxiety and uncertainty at this sudden change of their relationship. With three little words, the dynamic between them had completely shifted.

In the rush of emotions though, she felt something click into place. A realization that had been building in the back of her mind and now came to the front.

She shut her eyes and pressed a kiss to Dave’s cheek, near his ear. “I love you too, Dave.”
>FAIRFAX COUNTY, VIRGINIA
>AVA RESIDENCE
>16SEP2019
>1640...///


Ava took in a deep breath as she opened the front door of her home and took it all in. A wave of relief washed over her as she dropped Prince’s leash and let the dog excitedly run around and explore the place.

She stepped inside, her shoulders dropping as the comfort of simply being home settled in. After everything that had happened, all the hell they had been through, after being gone for nearly a month.

Finally. Finally she was back home.

Tears unexpectedly started to well up in her eyes and she blinked her eyes, trying to keep them back but there was a complex surge of emotions welling up in her chest and mostly she just wanted to cry out of happiness.

She sniffed and dabbed at her eyes with her sleeves.

Dave followed Ava in, noting her reaction. He saw the tension in her stance and he set down their bags, stepping up and wrapping his arms around her from behind. He didn’t say a word; if she wanted to talk, she would. Instead he held her, resting his chin on top of her head and squeezing her to his chest.

Ava started slightly before relaxing back into Dave’s arms, turning around so she could hug him fully. Tears welled up in her eyes as she pressed her face to his chest, uncaring about the glasses still on her face. She let the emotions wash over her, all of the fear that had built up her entire time in Alaska finally finding a release.

It was behind them. It was over.

For now.

Ava sniffed and pulled back slightly, taking off her glasses and rubbing at her eyes. “I’m sorry.” She said with a small laugh. “I’m happy, I really am. Just...Fuck that assignment.”

“Shh, don’t be sorry,” Dave said. He kissed the top of her head and gave her another squeeze. “But yeah. Fuck that job. Don’t think I’ll be big game huntin’ Alaska anytime soon.”

“No, me either.” She said with a faint chuckle, wiping the tears from her eyes and putting her glasses back on her face. She looked back up at Dave and stepped closer, wrapping her arms around him. “Thank you Dave, for everything. I’m glad you’re here.”

“Wouldn’t be anywhere else, sugar,” he said softly. He felt a catch in his chest and his eyes stung for a moment. He squeezed them shut. “Ya wanna get our stuff put away, an’ then go get Thor? Bet he’s missed ya.”

Ava frowned up at his reaction and moved her hands up and down his back. “What’s wrong Dave?”

“Nothin’, nothin’,” he chuckled and let her go. “Just happy to see ya home, and happy. I’m okay.”

“Okay.” She said, letting him pull away and glancing around. “Where did Prince go?” She asked before trotting down the hallway and looking into the guest bathroom. “Prince! No! That’s not a water bowl!” She squeaked, jumping into the bathroom to pull the dogs head out of the toilet.

Dave laughed and picked up their bags, heading for Ava’s room as she hunted down the dog.

>...///

Ava kept a firm grip on Prince’s leash as she and Dave walked up the path to Mrs. Grier’s front door. The dalmatian excitedly sniffed every plant and flower along the cobblestone walkway, Ava having to tug on his leash now and again to keep him from eating anything.

She looked up at Dave with a smile, excited and nervous to be introducing her closest friend to her boyfriend. Although she suspected the two of them would get along just fine, it was still a new situation and her response to new situations was to feel anxious.

Also she was worried about how the dogs would react to one another.

Something she quickly found out as she heard Daisy’s familiar barking at the front door and Prince’s ears immediately perked up. With a ‘ruff’ the dalmatian trotted quicker to the door, curious and excited by the sounds of another dog.

“Whoa!” Ava squeaked, quickening her pace to keep up with the excited dog.

Dave sped up as well, keeping pace with Ava, placing a hand near the small of her back as though to steady her. He was smiling, but nervous. He knew that Ava and the famous Mrs. Grier were close, and while he’d never had a problem meeting people he did want to make a good impression. He’d pulled on a clean white T-shirt with his wranglers and run a comb haphazardly through his shaggy hair before promptly covering it with his hat.

“Easy Prince,” Dave chuckled, watching the dog pace in front of the door. “Gonna pull her off her feet, boy.”

“More like pull my arm off.” Ava huffed, brushing at the front of the casual light blue sundress she had put on to combat the heat of the summer evening. She gave Dave one more encouraging smile and took his hand, giving it a squeeze. Then she let go and rang the doorbell.

Daisy’s yapping accelerated and the tippy taps of her claws on the polished wood floors were audible when Mrs Grier opened the door, “Get back, Daisy. Yes, I know you’re excited.”

The older woman opened the door, the pug pushing to the edge but not daring to cross the threshold as she barked and wagged the curly tail. Mrs. Grier shook her head then smiled brightly at the pair.

“Ava! And you must be Dave,” she said, swinging the door wider, her silver hair pulled up in a French twist. She wore pale gray slacks and a silk short sleeved blouse, classic strand of pearls in place around her neck. “And that must be Prince.”

Daisy barked and bounced in place, looking with her bugged eyes at the pair of people and the dog, not sure who to settle on. Prince chuffed a bark but seemed more curious than anything, his whip tail slapping at Dave and Ava’s legs as he sniffed at the fat pug. Daisy backed up as Mrs Grier pushed her aside and invited them in.

“I’m Diana Grier,” she said, offering her hand to Dave after they stepped inside. “I’ve been neighbors with Ava for...what’s it been, dear? Three years?”

She spoke with a soft tidewater Virginia accent, a genteel southern drawl, her features still elegant despite her age. Inside the house the living room was spotless and comfortable, paintings of boats and seashores and a few model ships in bottles sat on shelves of framed photos of her long life.

“Please, come in and make yourself comfortable, the prime rib is still in the oven, I hope y’all are hungry,” she made a gesture for them to sit down on the cream colored sofa.

Dave met Mrs. Grier’s smile with one of his own, accompanying Ava into the house. His eyes played swiftly over the scene, checking corners and deep angles through force of habit even as he grinned and offered his hand.

“Nice to meet ya, ma’am,” he said. “Heard a lot about ya, glad to finally meet.”

After making sure that Prince would get along with Daisy, Ava stepped forward to give her friend a firm hug. She didn’t squeeze too hard, afraid to hurt the older woman, but she definitely gave her as firm a hug as she could. “Hey Diana, thank you for having us over.”

Mrs Grier chuckled and returned her hug, “Oh, it’s my pleasure, of course. And you’re finally calling me by my first name, it only took a few years.”

She laughed softly, stepping back to look at Ava with a critical eye. Mrs Grier smiled slowly then glanced over at Dave. “You’re both very welcome in my home. I hope what you heard about me was good. Oh look, Prince might be here but here comes your Nordic god.”

Thor strolled out of the dining room into the living room, his tail plumed up in the hair and he meowed in a demanding tone as he paused, staring at Ava. Daisy wiggled and pestered the big cat who ignored her as he marched up to his owner and bumped against her shins, then meowing loudly again.

Ava smiled down at the cat, crouching down and picking him up with a grunt of effort. “Well hey there stranger, long time no see.” She said, scratching and petting his long luxurious fur. “I missed you, were you a good boy for Diana?” She asked, cradling the 20lb cat as best she could.

“He was an angel,” Mrs. Grier said, “Why he and Daisy are sharing a bed and chasing each other in the garden. But he missed you, when you first leave he sits by the door in the evening. Eventually he joins us in the kitchen but I think he was waiting for you.”

Prince wagged his tail, Daisy sniffing at him and he returned the favor but now his attention was on the ball of floof in Ava’s arms. He woofed and stuck his nose at Thor who turned and hissed, batting the Dalmation’s nose without claws. This time.

“Thor, no!” Ava said, turning away so Thor wouldn’t hit Prince again. “I was just feeling bad about leaving you.” She sighed, cautiously putting him down. “Oh, I’m sorry, I’m being rude.” She said, clearing her throat.

She motioned to Dave. “Diana, this is Dave, we met through work and, um, well,” She looked at Dave and smiled with a small blush. “We are seeing each other.” She motioned to Mrs Grier. “And of course, Dave this is Mrs Grier, one of my closest friends and a very understanding cat sitter.”

Dave smiled through the introduction. He reached over and brushed Ava’s arm when she mentioned them being together.

“Happy to meet ya,” he said again. “I hear a bit of the South in your voice. Whereabouts you from, ma’am?”

Mrs Grier nodded again at the introduction then gave Ava a playful sly smile, “So this is who you’ve been hiding from me. I thought I saw you over there last time. Well I am happy for you both.”

She raised a brow at Dave, “I was born in Charleston, South Carolina but we moved up to Virgina when I was still young. Born into a Navy family, married a Navy man. I moved around some but this has been my home for...oh, well too many years now to want to recount.”

The woman smiled, the lines of that habit creasing her skin and she waved them both over. “Please sit, we’ll chat properly at dinner. I need to get that prime rib out of the oven, I am not a gambler but if I was a betting woman I’d bet you’re a man that likes his beef rare or at least medium rare. Ava, would you mind lending me a hand?”

“Sure!” She beamed then switched to glaring down at Thor, the large cat curled up around her legs and glaring at Prince with his tail flicking back and forth. “Be nice.” She chastised the cat before following Mrs Grier to her kitchen.

>...///

The table was set with the good china, the antique porcelain with delicate blue flowering patterns. The prime rib was medium rare, a healthy pink in the middle and sliced with precision, beside it sat the potatoes and the roasted broccoli. A basket of rolls was half empty, the gravy boat docked in front of Dave’s plate.

As they ate, Mrs Grier gently gave Dave the inquisition, “I do remember seeing you before, Dave and not too long ago. I am curious as to where and how you and Ava met.”

She glanced at the redhead, giving her warm smile, “No offense darling, but I remember when you were too nervous to go to a co-worker’s Stranger Things viewing party.”

Ava flushed at the mention of the invitation. That had only been last month, but it felt like years ago. “No, no, that’s fair.” She said with a chuckle, looking to Dave for him to answer the question.

“Oh, we met at work,” Dave said. He and Ava had prepared for this question, discussing believable possibilities until settling on one they felt was right. “We were workin’ at the same site. I’m a security contractor, so I was on the protection detail, and we just kinda hit it off.”

He grinned over at Ava, proud of himself for having remembered the story.

Mrs. Grier smiled at that, looking at Ava with a glint in her hazel eyes, “I see, there is a charm to a man capable of protecting you and still being a gentleman.”

She glanced over at Dave, “I don’t need to ask you what you saw, any man would be very lucky to have Ava’s attention.”

Setting her fork down, she said, “And I am very happy for you both and you’re welcome here. Ava will you be home for some time or are you going to be off again soon?”

Ava returned Dave’s smile, proud at how smoothly he answered the question. She turned to her friend at the question. “Oh, I’m going to be home for a good while. After the last case, we’ve been given leave to...rest and relax.” She said after a brief pause. That wasn’t the reason but that was the good she was choosing to see in the situation. “4 months at least so, you won’t need to be looking after Thor again for awhile.”

Dave reached over beneath the table and squeezed Ava’s leg, still focusing outwardly on his food.

“Gonna spend part of the time here, an’ then go see what’s what in my home state,” Dave said. “Be a good time. Do some hikin’, kick back in the Ozarks. Meet my dog.” He grinned at Ava. “He’s bigger’n she is.”

“So you’ll be home for the holidays, that’s wonderful. And I’m sure your dog misses you as well, Dave, it’s hard to be away from our fur babies,” Mrs Grier said, her expression still warm but a hint of concern came to her eyes, “Not that I don’t mind taking care of Thor but we all miss you. I’ve got a few things to do as well in about two weeks, I might need someone to babysit Daisy for a day or two, if possible. You don’t need to take her if you can’t but come by the house and check on things, feed and walk her.”

Ava perked up, eyes brightening at the chance to repay Mrs Grier for looking after Thor. “Oh I can bring her over, it’s no problem!” She said with a grin. “Especially since her and Thor are friends now. I’d love to watch her for you.”

Daisy, hearing her name, waddled over to the table and stared bug eyed up at both Ava and Mrs Grier, her curling pink tongue lolling out. She shuffled in a circle and yapped once and Prince followed over, his soft ears perked up at the idea of getting some prime rib. Only Thor remained aloof, but his tail twitched and the keen golden eyes narrowed as the dogs begged.

“That’s very nice of you,” Mrs. Grier said, “That’s one less thing to worry about. And look at you, Daisy, you spoiled girl. It’s my fault really. I never let my children feed the dogs from the table.”

She was already cutting a piece of the beef from the slice on her plate, her food had a few bites gone but most still on her plate. “How we spoil our grandchildren.”

Mrs. Grier tossed a piece to Prince who snapped it out of the air and one down to Daisy who let it hit her in the face before snatching it from the floor.

“Speaking of dogs,” she said, watching Prince stare and wag his tail, and she laughed lightly, “I’m sorry I’ve made it worse. But as I was saying, that friend I told you about that manages the farm. They’re willing to take Prince tomorrow, she said they will train him to be what he was born to be and very few of his breed get the chance to do. He’ll be a carriage dog for a reenacting troupe that boards their horses there. They do the whole colonial and Civil war era reenactments and have a carriage. She offered to help train Prince to run alongside them when they do their shows and he’ll have a home at the farm.”

Ava’s face lit up. “That would be great!” She said excitedly, setting her fork down and clapping her hands. “That’ll be just perfect for you Prince, won’t it?” She cooed, Prince walking up to her at the sound of her name, happily wagging his tail at her excitement. “You love running around, yes you do.” She said, ruffling up his ears and scratching his head.

She looked back up at Mrs Grier with a wide smile. “Thank you so much Diana, I can’t begin to pay you back for everything you’ve done to help me.” She said, tears unexpectedly starting to build in her eyes. “I’ll find some way though, I promise.”

“I’m happy to do it,” Mrs Grier replied, “You’ve been a good friend and company for me.”

She smiled but saw the tears in Ava’s eyes and reached over to pat her hand, “No tears, my dear. Or you’ll get me going. I’m just glad you moved in next door. I get lonely sometimes, all my children and grandchildren and none of them live in Virginia let alone close by. One of them is all the way on the other side of the country.”

Mrs Grier gave her a tight lipped smile, “I’ve got my Gardening Club and all those things but I value our friendship, you don’t have to even think about paying me back. If anything, just keep going, I’m so happy you’re not locking yourself away so much.”

She glanced at Dave and back at Ava, touching the delicate chain of her necklace, the heavy gold band hidden under her silk blouse. “That makes me happy. Also your cheesecake, I never did master it as you have.”

Ava laughed, dabbing at her eyes with the back of her hand. “In that case, I’ll be sure to make a cheesecake and bring you a slice.” She smiled, placing her hand on top of Mrs Grier’s. She smiled and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “I’m glad I moved next door too.”

Dave beamed through their conversation, happy just to see Ava happy. He ate in silence while the two chatted, occasionally taking a surreptitious glance around and then lowering a piece of fat to one dog or the other. At the mention of cheesecake he perked up.

“You make cheesecake?” He asked, hope in his voice.

Ava laughed again and nodded over at Dave. “Yes, I make cheesecake. I need to go shopping anyway and I’ll get the ingredients for it.” She smiled at the both of them. “We could all use a little cheesecake.”

Dave nodded. “Alright well, you’re gonna teach me, an’ I’m gonna make one, so we’ve got two. Cuz I don’t wanna have to fight Diana over cheesecake. Pretty sure she’s gonna win.”

>...///

Ava blinked her eyes as she felt them start to grow heavy. She was snuggled up on the couch with Dave, her belly still full from the feast they had eaten at Mrs Grier’s and with Batman the animated series on; she was surprised she hadn’t fallen asleep yet.

Thor was perched on the back of the couch, keeping a watchful eye on Prince whom was snoring softly on the loveseat. After being chained in a yard all his life, Ava didn’t blame the dog for wanting to sleep on the softest bed available.

She yawned,turning to rest her chin on Dave’s chest and look up at him. “Hi.” She muttered with a small smile.

Dave cracked an eye, his attention drawn by her small movements and the sound of her voice. The food, the couch, and Ava’s body against his had lulled him into a steady nap, undisturbed until she greeted him. He met her smile with a grin of his own.

“Hi,” he said.

She noticed him rousing and rubbed her hand up and down his arm. “Do you want to head to bed?”

“Only if you want to,” Dave said. He yawned expansively, then stretched his shoulders. “I’m good here, watchin’ the show with ya.”

She grinned at his yawn and laid her head down, snuggling up against his chest. “Mm, I like this.” She murmured with a happy sigh. “Let’s just stay here forever. No more Program or anything.”

Dave felt a pang at her words and squeezed her.

“I like this too,” he whispered. He was silent a moment. “We could, you know. After all this is done? I wanna see this out, but after that…” He trailed off.

She looked up at him curiously. “What do you mean? We could what?”

"We could… Quit. Walk away. Live, ya know?" He sighed, looking over at the wall. "No more sneakin' around. No more hurtin' people. No more killin'. Just live."

“…You think they would let us?” She asked Dave quietly, her voice tinted with both hope and doubt. “Let me?”

"I think we ain't no good to 'em if we don't want to be there in the first place," Dave said. "I think they're smart enough to know that. An' I think Donnelley could put in a word. Queen and Ghost too, maybe."

Ava looked at him, eyes holding conflicting emotions. She clearly wanted to believe what he was saying could happen, but there was a pessimistic side of her that was doubtful. “Back in Alaska,” Ava said, her voice soft. “When we all found each other, before Donnelley called Foster, he told us…That that was our only chance to walk away.”

“But once this is over, that might be different,” Dave said. He shook his head. “I gotta believe that. Once we finish this, once we kill who needs killin’, I gotta believe there’s a way out.”

His arms tightened around her. “We can’t spend our lives like this, sugar.”

She smiled at him. “That does sound really nice.” She murmured, her eyes unfocusing and staring off in the distance. She focused back on him and her expression warmed, though it was tempered by a lingering shadow. “I hope we can do that.”

“Me too,” Dave said quietly. He leaned down to kiss her forehead and gave her another squeeze. “Me too.”

Ava shut her eyes at the kiss, resting against Dave’s chest and in his arms as a battle raged inside. A struggle to want to believe that they could eventually get out, but unable to ignore the reality that she had seen.

She tightened her hand on Dave’s shirt and opened her eyes to look up at him. She leaned up and planted a firm kiss on his lips.

He blinked in surprise, but met the kiss all the same, pulling her against him. His hand squeezed her hip as he deepened the kiss, their bodies melding, the firm warmth of her urging him on. After a few moments he pulled back and grinned.

“Should I pause Batman?” He asked, his eyes dancing.

She met his eyes and nodded, pressing her face to his neck and jaw and laying kisses there.

Dave groaned and reached for the remote, fumbling until he found it.

“Pausing Batman.”
>RESIDENCE INN
>SEATTLE, WA
>14SEP2019
>1250...///


The smell of rain was fresh in the air as a gentle mist fell over the parking lot of the Seattle hotel. Ava let Prince wander around and sniff to his hearts content, the dog happily wagging his tail and flopping his tongue out as people walked by. Some stopped to admire the adorable dalmatian while most went about their day, exiting or entering into the hotel.

Ava held her phone in her hand, staring down at the black screen. She looked over her shoulder, smiling as she saw Dave waiting in line to check them in. She had made the reservations before they left Alaska, under a different identity; just to be on the safe side.

After everything that happened, they couldn’t be too safe.

She looked back down at the phone and sighed. She had checked over all of their devices before they left the safehouse in Alaska, except for Agent Baj’s devices. They had just met, it didn’t seem right to ask to snoop through the woman’s phone. And she had just been added to the Program as a full agent. There was no way she was involved in the leaks...She hoped.

Ava knew her phone was clean but still part of her was hesitant. Afraid. Paranoid.

Shaking her head she took in a deep breath and unlocked her phone. She pulled up her contacts and called up Mrs. Grier, guilt curling in her stomach as the phone rang.

“Hello?” the voice on the other end was soft, the accent a gentle refined Virginia drawl. “This is Diana Grier.”

“Um,” Ava said, walking over to a nearby bench and sitting down, Prince following along on his leash. “Hi...Mrs. Grier. It’s me, Ava.”

A moment of silence before the warm voice came back, a slight strain to it when she spoke again, “Ava! Oh my word, that’s you. I’ve been worried, are you alright? It’s been so long, dear.”

“I know, I know! I’m so sorry!” Ava said, feeling her throat start to tighten with emotion. “Something came up and then things got complicated and I couldn’t call you or anyone and I’m so so sorry.” She said, sniffling. “I’m okay, I’ll be home soon. I’m sorry to make you worry.”

“Oh, dear,” Mrs Grier said, “As long as you’re alright. Thor misses you as do I. I know how these things can be, don’t you worry about me. Just take care of yourself and get home. We can have tea and I insist on having you over for dinner when you return, there’s nothing worse than traveling and having to cook right after. Oh, and your house is fine, I’ve kept an eye out.”

A pause in the rush of words as Mrs Grier took a few breaths, “Ava, I hope everything went well for you, whatever you were doing.”

Ava’s eyes began to well up with tears, her mind flashing back to the mission, to Ipiktok, the visions...Her death and everything that happened after. “Um, it didn’t go...great. But I’m okay and so is my team, that’s what matters.” She rubbed at her eyes, looking down as Prince sat down next to her and put his head in her lap.

She sniffed and smiled. “But, I would love to have dinner with you.” She rubbed Prince’s ears. “Would it be okay if I...brought a guest?” She asked, turning to look behind her and seeing Dave’s back through the glass doors at the counter now. “Well, technically two.” She scratched Prince’s head. “But one is a four legged friend and the other is a two legged one.”

Mrs Grier listened in silence, letting Ava tell what she would. “I’m sorry it didn’t go well, these things happen but you’re right, what matters is everyone comes home. And of course, my dear. Any guest of yours is welcome, no matter how many legs.”

The warmth rose in her voice, “Was there anything in particular you would like me to make or does your friend have any dietary needs such as being a vegetarian or not eating a particular item?”

“Oh, I don’t think you have to worry about that with him.” Ava chuckled, looking back fondly over at Dave. “He’ll eat just about anything you put in front of him, but he’s a southern boy so he might like some southern comfort food.” She said, gently kicking her feet back and forth as she flushed. “You’ve probably seen him around my house a few times. Tall, brown hair, kind of a scruffy beard and lots of flannel.”

“I do recall a fellow matching that description,” Mrs Grier said, “I was wondering if you’d ever introduce him to me. It’s quiet unlike you to have a guest...such as him overnight. Not that it’s my business, I was concerned as he didn’t look like someone you work with...at least not someone from the office. But regardless, dear, bring him. I will make the most comforting of Southern meals and put at least five pounds on you.”

She paused then added, “As for your four-legged friend, you’ll need to introduce Thor. He’s become quite comfortable with Daisy. You should see them, they share Daisy’s bed now.”

“Awe, he does!?” Ava smiled warmly and looked down at Prince, who looked back up at her and started to wag his tail. “I knew Thor was a big softee.” She stroked Prince’s head with a chuckle. “Oh, Diana, you're going to love Prince. He’s a two year old Dalmatian, he’s very sweet and, uh,” She ducked into her shoulders slightly. “I can’t really keep him...I was hoping you could help me find him a good home?”

“A dalmatian?” Mrs Grier repeated, then stayed quiet for a moment. “No, I suppose you don’t have time for a dog. Let me make some calls, dear. I have some friends that work with animals, maybe they can help. Now I am very curious to hear at least about how you came to pick up a dog on your travels for work.”

“Oh,” Ava balked, remembering the robbery in the trailer park and her mad dash with Queen to the river. After impulsively stealing their dog. “He was just a stray we found on the job and you know me, I couldn’t leave him on his own.” She thought quickly and said, “He’s a Disney dog, but I thought Pongo from the movie was too obvious and he’s very charming sooo,” She smiled down at the dog in question. “I called him Prince. I almost went with Cerberus, because it means spotted, but I’ve already got a cat named Thor. Figured I probably hit my allotment for naming animals after mythological beings.”

Mrs Grier listened and there was the sound of a tinkling of tags and she said, “He sounds very lovely, dear. And you don’t have to worry about what someone thinks of the name of your pet, it’s special. However, I suppose that will be up to the new owner. Oh, someone is here to say hello.”

There was a faint sound and Mrs Grier’s voice murmuring, then finally she spoke up, “He’s being fussy but Thor says hello.”

“Awe, I miss you Thor!” Ava called out with a sigh. “I’ll be home soon and give you lots of treats. I promise.” She looked up at the overcast sky. “And I mean that Diana, I’ll be home soon.”

“We look forward to your return, Ava. And to meet your guests,” Mrs Grier said, a hint of humor in her tone, “Especially being formally introduced to that handsome fellow that looks somewhat like a lumberjack.”

Ava laughed. “I think you’ll like him, he’s a good man.” She flushed and smiled to herself. “I certainly like him. A lot.”

It was obvious Mrs Grier was smiling as she replied, “I am so happy to hear that, my dear. I certainly look forward to having y’all over. Just call me the morning you leave so I can make sure to have enough time for something slow cooked and utterly fattening.”

“I will, I promise.” She said, smiling into the phone. “Thanks Mrs Grier, I swear I’ll make this up to you.”

“Ava, you don’t need to worry about making anything up, just get home safe,” Mrs Grier replied, “I should go now, I have to feed these rascals before they start rioting. Have a safe trip, we’ll see you soon.”

“Thanks again Diana, you’re the best friend a girl can ask for.” She sighed and patted Prince’s head. “Bye, I’ll see you soon.” After Mrs Grier bid her own goodbye, Ava ended the call, setting the phone down on her lap and letting her shoulders relax. “Well...That’s one call down.” She chuckled down at Prince.
Dave stood a respectful distance away, the key in his hand. He’d caught the end of the conversation, his heart swelling when Ava said how much she liked him, and when she hung up he walked over and slipped his arms around her.

“Got our room,” he said, kissing the top of her head.

Ava started before relaxing back into Dave’s arms with a smile. “Thank you.” She said, looking back up at him. She looked down at her phone and heaved a heavy sigh. “I need to call my parents next and my grandparents.” She slipped her phone into her coat pocket. “But, I want to do that in the room. It’s chilly out here.” She smiled at him. “We finally get to be alone.”

Dave’s heart quickened and he gave her another kiss, this one on the forehead. “We can go on in,” he said. He’d wanted to get her alone, truly alone, from the moment he’d seen her walking out of that barn. Now he found himself reluctant to let go, wanting to hold her to him just a little longer. He gave her a final squeeze and released her.

“C’mon,” he said. “205, you take the key.” He passed it to her and then stooped to pick up their bags, turning his face away with a laugh as Prince shoved a nose towards him.

“Hey, hey,” Ava laughed, gently tugging Prince back. “Stop trying to make me jealous.” She said to the dog, flipping the card in her hand as she walked to the entrance. “So I thought we could get settled in the room then maybe order something?”

“Pizza? Chinese? Oh, what about Italian?” Dave followed along behind Ava, beaming. “Actually know what? I’ll let you pick, I’m wantin’ anything that ain’t freeze dried Army food or Queen’s pancakes, so I’ll be happy.”

“I’ll scope out the local restaurants.” She chuckled as they walked. They traveled the halls, either in companionable silence or friendly chatter as they rode the elevator to the second floor. Ava noticed Prince was starting to drag his feet a little.

“Hang in there buddy, almost to the-ah!” She perked up as she spotted room 205. “Here we are!” She slipped the card into the slot, the light on the door handle turning green and she swung it open. “Pretty nice.” She said, unclipping Prince’s leash from his collar and letting him explore the room.

“It is,” Dave said. He looked around, taking in the simple but friendly decor as he set their bags against the far wall. He closed the door, locked every lock, then reached beneath his shirt to remove the holster for his Sig, which he set on the nightstand on the close-side of the bed. He’d had to pack it away to legally check it on the plane, but the moment they’d left the airport he had slipped into the first bathroom available to arm himself.

Now he set down in easy reach, and removed his boots before laying back on the bed. Dave reached a hand towards Ava, beckoning her to join him.

“C’mere,” he said, smiling.

Ava smiled, removing her dove grey coat and hanging it over the back of a chair seated in the corner. She sat down on the bed, went about removing her own boots then let herself fall back onto the soft sheets and mattress.

She looked up at the ceiling and let out a long sigh. “After everything that happened, this hotel room is 5 star luxury to me.”

Dave chuckled, rolling onto his side so he could see Ava. He studied her, taking in the curve of her neck, the line of her jaw, and he reached over to stroke her cheek.

“The company helps,” he said, brushing his knuckles against her soft skin.

Ava turned to him with a gentle smile. “It really does.” She said, turning her head a little more to brush her lips against his fingers. “Dave…” She reached up to catch his hand and gave it a squeeze. “I’m so sorry about everything you went through.”

He felt his heart break at her words and shook his head, shifting closer and pulling her into his arms.

“No,” he said softly. “It wasn’t your fault. And everything is okay now.” He gave her a soft kiss. “Everything is okay.”

She shut her eyes at the kiss and let out a breath, shifting herself closer to him. “Back together again.” She said, trying to inject some lightness back into her voice.

He smiled and held her tight. “Together again.”

Dave held her body to his, feeling her warmth, her firmness, smelling the scent of her hair and perfume. He shifted his weight so he could kiss her again, more slowly this time. They hadn’t had a real moment alone since their reunion, always surrounded by the others or just a room away. Now, alone together, he found his body responding as well as his heart. He deepened the kiss, pulling her body full-length against his as his hands ran over her sweater dress, searching her curves.

Ava sighed against his lips, returning the kiss enjoying the feeling of their lips pressed together. She could feel the strength of his body, the warmth of his hands as they ran over her and pressed back against him, wrapping her arms around him as well.

She suddenly felt a rush of emotion, a deep craving that she didn’t know she had been missing. It had been so long since Dave and her had gotten a chance to hold each other, after everything that happened to them in Alaska, she realized how starved she was for this physical contact. This comfort and how close it had been from being taken away from her. From them.

She felt tears start to prick at her eyes, but she kept kissing Dave, not wanting to end this simple moment of being together.

As the kisses grew more heated Dave ran his hand down her flank, gently tugging the hem of Ava’s sweater dress higher. His hand slipped beneath it to rest on her hip and he nuzzled her cheek.

“I want you,” he whispered, then kissed her throat. “I need you.”

She shivered and her breath hitched as his lips brushed her skin and she felt the bristle of his beard. “Me too,” She whispered, running her hands over him with equal fervor. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” he said. His voice was husky with both desire and emotion, and he moved his hand higher, to run his calloused fingers over warm flesh, the ridges of her abdomen and ribs...

>...///

She breathed heavily as the high of the climax started to fade and Dave collapsed on top of her, her arms and legs still wrapped around him. She felt the wetness on her cheek, but she didn’t know if it was her tears or Dave’s. Perhaps both.

She turned her head and buried her face into his shoulder, holding him tightly. “I’m here.” She whispered. “I’m here.”

“I know,” Dave whispered. He held her tightly. The physical contact was now his priority, and he lay there for a while, holding her close. Finally he sighed, pulling back to kiss her cheek and then looking down at her. He smiled and stroked her cheek, wiping her tears away. “I’m here, too.”

She smiled up at him, leaning into the hand before turning inward to kiss his palm. She relaxed her legs from around his waist and reached up, cupping his face in her hands. She opened her mouth to say something before shutting it. Instead she shut her eyes and pressed their foreheads together.

Dave smiled, rolling onto his side so they could lay together without his weight on her. He kept their foreheads touching, his arms settling gently around her.

“Just wanna lay here awhile,” he said softly. “If you’re okay with it.”

“I’d like that.” She murmured, opening her eyes to smile at him. She fought back a yawn and snuggled up against him. “Maybe we can take a nap. That ride on that military plane was hardly relaxing.”

"Never even liked flyin' on the nice planes," he said, his voice foggy with a sudden fatigue. "Flown more since all this started than in my whole life before."

He played his fingers gently up and down her back, enjoying the soft, smooth skin.

"I think a nap sounds real nice," he said. "Wanna climb under the covers?"

Ava nodded, fighting back another yawn. “I need to clean up a bit,” She leaned forward to kiss his cheek. “You go on and get the covers warm.” She said before reluctantly pulling away from him. She sat up with a stretch, looking over to the small sofa in the room and chuckling seeing Prince passed out on it.

She stood up and made her way to the bathroom, uncaring about her state of undress.

Dave watched her leave, a grin spreading as he drank in her naked form. Then he climbed beneath the covers, sighing contentedly.

There was the sound of running water for a minute or so, then it shut off. The light in the bathroom turned off and after some shuffling around, Ava crawled beneath the covers and snugged herself up against Dave. She pressed her head to his shoulder, dressed in one of the thick, comfortable flannels she had pulled from Dave’s suitcase.

She settled against him and sighed, shutting her eyes and murmuring, “Goodnight Dave.”

His arms went around her automatically and he drew her close. He kissed the top of her head and then settled in.

"Goodnight, sugar," he whispered, then closed his own eyes and waited for sleep.

>...///

>1825...///


He woke slowly, his eyes bleary from the first full night's sleep in what felt like weeks. As the dim room eased into view he shifted on the bed, reaching automatically for Ava. His hand touched empty blankets and his heart stopped.

"Ava?" He sat upright, a rush of adrenaline filling him as he looked at the empty pillow beside him. Just a dream. Ava was gone. Shot dead before he could move and burned in a secret oven with nothing but a lie and a headstone over an empty grave. He felt his throat catch and he looked frantically around the hotel room, a crushing grief settling on his soul. Gone, gone forever because he couldn't save her.

Dave climbed from the bed and froze as he spotted her suitcase, still where they'd put it the night before. His relief washed over him and he sat back down on the bed, hanging his head and breathing hard, his hand going automatically to the medallion he still wore. He felt the tears coming and let them, putting his face in his hands and taking slow, deep breaths. She was here. She was still with him.

There was a muffled voice on the other side of the door before it swung open, Ava standing in the doorway and juggling a paper fast food bag, a tray of drinks, the room key card and Prince’s leash.

She perked up seeing Dave awake and sitting on the edge of the bed. “Hey! Good morning or evening, actually-“ She cut herself off as she noticed his demeanor and the tear tracks on his face.

She shut the door with her foot and dropped Prince’s leash, letting the dog trot up to Dave and sniff him. “Are you okay?” She asked Dave worriedly, setting everything down on the hotel room table.

Dave sniffed loudly, reaching up to wipe his face, suddenly embarrassed. He reached down and scratched the top of Prince’s head, his ears burning.

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine,” he said. “I uh...I’m okay. Just...Didn’t know where you went.”

Ava frowned at him, walking over and sitting down next to him. She reached out and took his hand, looking up at his tear streaked face and shameful expression. “Dave,” She said quietly. “Talk to me. What’s wrong?”

He shook his head, looking down at the floor even as he squeezed her hand.

“I just..I woke up, an’ you were gone,” he said quietly. “I thought you were still gone. Just...Just for a minute. I thought I never got you back.”

Ava’s throat tightened and she leaned against his arm. “I’m sorry Dave.” She said softly, brushing the back of her fingers of her free hand up and down his arm. “I should have told you I was stepping out.”

“It’s okay,” he said. He put his arms around her and gave her a tight squeeze. “I’ll get better. I figured out what was goin’ on before you got back. Ain’t your fault, sugar.”

Ava sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. “Still,” She said. “I don’t like the idea of you being scared or thinking…thinking I wasn’t here anymore.” She looked up at him and touched his face, rubbing at his cheek with her thumb. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“I know.” He gave her a weak smile and then a kiss. “I’m okay. Promise.”

She returned the kiss but continued to lean against him and hold his hand.

After a minute or so she looked up at him. “Well, I got us some food, just some burgers from a place down the street.” She patted his bare knee. “Why don’t you put on some pants and we can eat.”

Dave shot Prince a look, noting the dog edging closer to the take-out bag.

“That sounds good,” he said as he stood to collect his jeans. “You eat my burger we’re gonna have us a fight, boy.”

Prince looked up at Dave, tail wagging happily.

Ava chuckled and stood up, ruffling Prince’s fur and ears. “Don’t do it Prince, he’s not joking.” She smiled, looking over at Dave herself. “You know, since we’ll be here for a few days, I was thinking we could go check out a hiking trail around Mount Rainier.” She said with a small shrug and a smile. “Since we didn’t get to take that hike in Alaska.”

“I think that sounds fun,” Dave smiled. He’d pulled on his pants and then returned to his seat on the bed. “I’m always down for a hike. That somethin’ you’d wanna do tomorrow? It’s kinda late, I figure we eat, then maybe watch a movie an’ then go to bed.”

“Yes,” Ava said quickly. “It’s way too late to be going hiking.” She turned to Prince with her hands on her hips. “Now, Donnelley isn’t here to sneak you table scraps, so don’t expect any from us young man.”

Prince looked up at her with his backside wiggling, simply happy to have her attention on him.

“I’m glad we understand each other.” Ava grinned, grabbing the bag of fast food and the drink tray. She joined Dave on the bed and passed him the paper bag. “So, what do you feel like watching?”

Dave grunted. He’d dug into the bag the moment she handed it to him and, finding the larger of the burgers, had already sunk his teeth into it by the time Ava had started speak. He chewed vigorously, reaching out to rub his bare foot against Prince’s shoulder.

“I dunno,” he said when he was capable of speech again. “You know I ain’t one for watchin’ much TV. I’m happy with whatever you wanna watch. Oh, and thanks for gettin’ food. Feel like I’m starvin’ to death.”

“You’re welcome, I woke up because I was so hungry.” She reached over to pick up the tv remote on the coffee table and flipped on the tv. “And I’m 90lbs on a good day so I thought you would be twice as hungry.” She winked at him as she dug a fry out of the bag. “I got you the biggest burger they had.”

She ate her fry and sighed. “Ghost has his work cut out for him.” She said, poking at her small bicep.

Dave snorted and reached over to poke at her bicep as well.

“I’unno, I think ya look pretty good,” he grinned. He sat up straighter and flexed his own arm. While he’d lost weight in the last few days, he was still a tightly muscled 170-something, with the kind of lean but strong construction that came from physical work and time spent roughing it in the outdoors. “But if you want, we could both probably use a bit of a train-up.”

He chewed for a moment, then took a drink and cleared his throat. “You...Wanna come to my place at some point? While we’re off? We could get up in the mountains, do some shootin’ and maybe some high-elevation workouts. And we could start runnin’ while we’re at your place.”

Ava perked up as she pulled out her own burger and smiled slightly. “Yeah, I would like that. I get to see how the Mountain Man lives.” She let tv rest on the Andy Griffith Show as background noise and looked down at her food. “Would…I be meeting your son too?” She asked, looking to him before sinking her teeth into her food.

Dave nodded slowly. “I’d...Hafta talk to his mom about that, but yeah. I’d like you two to meet. You’re part of my life. A big part. So you’d be part of his, too.” He felt a sudden anxiety at that idea, despite knowing that Kaliah was far from unreasonable.

Ava swallowed hard. “Right, yeah, that makes sense.” She said, looking down and fiddling with the paper around her burger. “Do you think he will like me?” She asked Dave slowly, her nervousness plain.

He reached up and took her chin, raising her gaze to his. “He’ll love you,” he said firmly. “I know he will.” He stroked her cheek with his thumb and then, very slowly and with constant eye contact, he raised his burger and took a comically large bite.

Ava snorted and smiled, laughter dancing in her eyes again. “You’re such a doof.” She said, leaning forward and kiss him on the cheek even while he chewed. “But I love that about you.”

Dave beamed around his full mouth, though his heart skipped a beat at her words. In response he cupped her cheek briefly as he chewed his way through the unreasonably large bite. When he’d finished he took a breath.

“I’ll give Kaliah a call tomorrow,” he said. “Probably a bit late now. We’ll run it by her, then work everythin’ out, okay?”

“Okay.” She smiled, a tentative one but a smile nonetheless. “I guess this means that you have to meet my family now.” She furrowed her brow. “That’ll be weird, especially after all the times I told them I wasn’t interested in dating.”

“You ain’t even 30,” Dave snorted. “Nothin’ weird about a smart girl focusing on a career instead of lookin’ for a boyfriend, especially these days.” He grinned. “I just got lucky.”

“Hey, I’m going to be 28 next month.” She sniffed, taking a bite of her burger. She swallowed. “Legally anyway, we don’t really know when my birthday is.” She shrugged.

“Well, then legally we gotta celebrate,” he said as he finished his burger. He began gathering the trash and putting it into the bag. “So that’ll be fun to plan!”

Ava perked up and smiled. “That would be fun to plan.” She took another bite, chewing thoughtfully. “It’s the 26th, pretty close to Halloween.” Her eyes brightened with an idea. “What if we had a costume party? We can invite the others so it’s a team thing, blowing off steam after…everything.” She grimaced and ate another portion of her burger.

“I think that’d be fun.” Dave felt a flush of joy as he saw her eyes light up. Her excitement was infectious, and simply seeing her happy made him happy. “We can dress up, do the party thing with cake an’ stuff, then maybe watch some movies?”

“Sure!” She smiled again. “But cheesy bad horror movies.” She said with a frown. “I don’t really like horror and considering our jobs…I think we can all use some B grade horror stories to laugh at.”

“I think that’s fair,” he nodded. He stretched, then lay down on the bed, positioning himself so he could lay his head in her lap. “Maybe some of them goofy ones, from the 50s. The black an’ white monster movies?”

Ava blinked down at him, surprised but happy by Dave laying his head down on her lap. She smiled and nodded. “I think that would be fun.” She leaned back slightly as she finished off the rest of her burger, crumpling up the wrapper and stuffing it in the paper bag to throw away later. After wiping her hands off on some napkins, which also went into the bag, she turned her attention back down to Dave.

She smiled and ran her fingers through his hair, gently playing with the tufts of brown locks. “You look comfortable.” She chuckled. “I...like this. This is nice.” She said, her smile growing warm and affectionate.

“I like this, too,” he smiled up at her. She wore the same sweater dress she’d worn earlier in the day, minus the leggings, and between her stroking his hair and the warmth of her thighs under his head, he found himself suddenly feeling...Content. A sort of dozy, domestic contentment, one that he hadn’t felt in a very long time. He caught one of her hands and kissed it.

“This is nice,” he echoed quietly.

She smiled at the kiss, an unexpected but strong surge of emotion welling up in her chest. A feeling of happiness, warmth and overwhelming affection as she looked down at Dave, seeing him finally relaxed after everything that happened.

“It is.” She murmured with a soft sigh, pulling her hand away from him so she could go back to stroking his hair.

Dave lay back for a while, enjoying the intimacy and quiet of the moment. Eventually he rolled onto his side and kissed her thigh.

“You know,” he said after another kiss. “It’s gettin’ kinda late. But you ain’t supposed to go to bed right after you eat.” He bit her gently, teeth grazing the firm, warm flesh of her thigh before looking up at her with a quirked eyebrow.

Ava flushed and grinned down at him, shaking her head in amusement. “You aren’t tired after earlier?”

“Never too tired for you,” he said. He kissed her again, closer to the hem of her dress. “Why, are you tired?”

“Well, you can be an exhausting man at times.” She giggled, continuing to run her fingers through his hair. “But, I think I can muster up the energy for another go.”

“Good.” His voice was muffled, his next kiss high up on her inner thigh. “Then lay back and relax, sugar. Just relax.”

She flushed brighter, but smiled as she shifted and laid herself back down on the bed, taking in a breath and shutting her eyes to relax and enjoy.
>JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON
>ANCHORAGE, AK
>13SEP2019
>0500


It had been a day or so since THUNDER and UMBRA were once again crammed into a house and told to wait. Poker and Donnelley had fought over the master bedroom, eventually culminating in a very intense arm wrestling match between the two that did bring up morale amongst all of them quite a bit. They were told all of their possessions left at the BLACKBOX would be flown in and would arrive today, Donnelley glad to have his things back finally. Sadly, the view from the master bedroom’s windows didn’t give him a good angle to see the sunrises, but he still spent the early mornings outside on the porch, just thinking and dragging away at his cigarettes.

Foster and Sobel had left them all to their own devices. Sobel had healed up quick, though there were concerns that an expenditure of that much energy again could lead to a brain hemorrhage if taken just a little farther than it was. Sobel didn’t seem to care. Foster disappeared to do whatever it was he was busy with for the past two days, which was fine with Donnelley. He didn’t mind not having daddy dearest around for a bit. They’d struggled on without him for long enough now. Donnelley was on the porch when the shipment of their stuff arrived. It was arranged neatly into bags, sorted by whoever had owned it. Donnelley had changed out of the redneck gear he was sporting after shopping in nothing but Cabela’s stores with Dave. Now he looked more like the security contractor type, could hardly tell him and Ghost apart save for the difference in muscle mass.

Looking at the folded up clothes he was wearing in Noatak though. He’d seen his own blood on his own clothes before, but he’d never held the clothes he’d died in. That was different. Almost unwelcome, and he left those clothes alone until he decided to go to the backyard. He’d started a fire in the pit there and thrown his clothes in. He’d gotten curious looks from Poker and Ghost, but it didn’t stop him. He listened to the sounds of waking and conversation inside the house as he sat in the backyard and watched the evidence of his murder or KIA status or whatever you wanted to call it just blacken and burn away. He took a drag off his cigarette and let it out, his old flask in his lap.

His sunglasses were on to cover the recently pouring eyes. He cleared his throat and took another drag, and another nip off his flask in another sunrise. His breath hitched in his throat again and he looked down with a heavy frown, tugging down the bill of the RealTree cap a bit lower.

Back in the living room Dave stirred, his eyes snapping open and awareness rushing in as it had been more and more lately. He didn’t wake up anymore. Instead he activated, coming to the world instantly ready to fight.

He looked around the room from his position on the couch, then turned, spotting Ava curled on the loveseat, Prince snuggled beside her. He smiled, feeling like he might laugh and cry at the same time just to see her lying there. Instead he rose, setting aside the AK he’d slept with, and after bending down to kiss her forehead and patting Prince he headed for the porch.

Dave spotted Donnelley and crossed to sit down beside him.

“Mornin’,” he grunted. He pulled out his Cope, snapped the can. As he loaded his lip and put it away he stared out at the yard, hoping he wasn’t intruding but unwilling to walk away.

“Mornin.’” Donnelley said after a spell of silence. He added another piece of wood to the fire, wanting those clothes reduced to ashes by the time he was gone from this house. He didn’t look at Dave, the two of them just sitting in each other’s presence. Donnelley had his eyes on those clothes since he’d started the fire, almost like he was expecting them to jump up and strangle him.

“How you holdin’ up?” Donnelley broke the ambience of birds chirping and the faint sunlight of a fledgling day.

“Shit’s weird,” Dave said. He looked off into the distance, his left hand in his pocket, his right resting on the butt of the Sig he still wore at his belt. “You guys comin’ back is...It’s a lot. Don’t get me wrong, I couldn’t be happier, really,” he added hastily. “But...Three days…”

Dave shook his head, pushing back memories of what happened in that barn. “I thought we were payin’ ‘em back...Thought all I had left to do was kill the bastards. An’ I did a lot of that. I dunno, man, I ain’t tryin’ to dump on you. Can’t imagine what it’s like for y’all.”

“Fuck it,” Donnelley glanced at Dave before he turned his head back to the fire, those glasses still hiding his bloodshot eyes, but nothing could mask the sound of his irritated throat from quietly choking back those pitiful half-sobs. Trying not to wake everyone else up.

Besides, listening to Dave would keep his mind from wandering back to that Jeep Liberty and Gregory Morales’ innocent corpse. He took a drag off his shrinking cigarette and shamelessly pulled from his flask, “Just fuckin’ talk, man. If it helps.”

Dave sat down beside Donnelley, then took a quick look back over his shoulder. Satisfied they were alone he shifted his weight, considering his words. Donnelley had been there, as the saying goes. Dave trusted him, and knew that the man had been through a lot of the same hell in his past that Dave was currently experiencing. Belyaev’s name was on the tip of his tongue, but he balked at the last second.

“I’m just not used to this...I dunno, the level of violence,” Dave said lamely. “When it happened in West Virginia, it was usually more sporadic, I guess? But since you guys...Well, since y’all died, it’s been a non-stop shit show. Hell, it’s been a shit show since we got to Alaska.” He waved a hand dismissively. “Anyway. I’m just bitchin’, if you believe what Ghost says. That guy’s a fuckin’ machine.”

“Yeah, and I’m not Ghost.” Donnelley shook his head, looked at Dave and then looked back at the fire. Shook his head again, “I been places, man. Done things that ain’t ever goin’ to see the light of day. Take ‘em all to my grave.”

Donnelley nodded at the fire then, eating up the clothes he’d died in, hungry. “Neither of us are Ghost and that’s fine. Man’s not fuckin’ human.” He sighed, “You wanna try to be like him, go ahead. Or you can take a pull off this flask and talk to me like the friend I am to you.”

Donnelley slowly extended his arm Dave’s way and offered the flask he held to the other man. He wished he’d offered the same to Avery when he could, but he let his own damn emotions control the way he held himself. Now one of the last memories Avery ever had of him was him yelling at him in a hotel parking lot. He didn’t want to be that leader.

Dave looked at the flask for a moment, then took it. He took a large swallow, drinking despite the dip like a true Ozark boy.

“I cut a man up,” he said after, before he lost his nerve. “He uh...He was the dude we snatched up, Belyaev. Some Russian. But I blamed him for what happened, an’ I jointed him like a deer carcass. Real slow.” He took another drink, then offered it back. “It ain’t somethin’ Ava can ever know...I knew even while I did it that she’d hate it. She wouldn’t want it, even as revenge. But…” He sighed. “But it was what I thought I wanted, an’ I did it.”

Donnelley watched him drink and speak on what he’d done at that barn to get himself so red to the elbows and blood-stains on his shirt. He’d seen it, everyone who knew to look for it saw it, and probably even those who didn’t know what it was saw it. The eyes of a man who’d done something regrettable. Donnelley nodded, knowing well enough how THUNDER did things, and if Dave was with THUNDER, well. “You know, Laine asked me once, on our first assignment together,” Donnelley looked up at the lightening sky and remembered back to Clyde Baughman’s apartment, “She asked me if the wives or girlfriends or any of their family ever knew the kinds of things that we had to do for the Program.”

“I’m pretty sure I told her that even if we could ever talk to anyone about what we saw and did, they wouldn’t want to know. Not really. Not if they knew what was good for them.” Donnelley looked back down to earth, pulled off of his flask when he got it back, “I killed plenty. Some of them I wish I didn’t have to. Laine ain’t ever goin’ to know about it.”

“I wish I knew the cure to wakin’ up soaked through with sweat, the nightmares, the not bein’ able to sleep or just really not fuckin’ wantin’ to.” Donnelley shrugged, “But talkin’ to folk who understand helps. Even if they don’t give me instructions like say ten Hail Mary’s and whatever, it helps.”

“I’m sorry you had to do that, man.” Donnelley reached up and took his sunglasses off, letting them hang off the neck of his hoodie. He looked at Dave with bloodshot eyes, tired bags weighing down his eyelids, “I’m really sorry.”

Dave nodded as he spoke, and when he’d finished he reached over to grab his shoulder. Donnelley looked like he felt, and he couldn’t help the bit of guilt that crept into him at unloading his pile of shit on a man fresh back from the dead.

“I’m sorry for what happened to y’all,” he said. He wasn’t sure what else to say. Instead he gave Donnelley’s shoulder a squeeze. “You listened to me, so I’m down to listen to you. If you want. We got our li’l family back together, an’ we’re gonna see this shit through. But I’m here for you, same as you are for me.”

He gave Donnelley a final pat and then released him, stretching a bit to take some of the strain off his battered back. He felt like he’d been run through a machine, and after sparing a brief thought for what the shockwave of that explosion might have done to his previously concussed brain he shook his head, clearing the thought away. All things considered, an aneurysm might not be a bad way to go.

Dave leaned back, resting his weight on his hands, and simply watched the sky, content to either bring in the morning in silence or provide an ear as Donnelley dictated.

Donnelley scooted down in the collapsible picnic chair he was sitting in, shimmying down so his legs were closer to the fire and he was more laying than sitting. Silence resumed again and the two rough and tumble men just sat like that for a good while. He swallowed, looking at Dave, then back at the fire. It was like whatever it was was clamping his jaw shut. He had to fight it all the way up until finally, he just spoke it out onto the cold morning, “Avery.” He said, clearing his throat and knowing he needed to say more or it wouldn’t mean anything, “I wish I talked to him like this. I mean, knowin’ what I know now. Knowin’ what happened to him, I… I made him feel like a damn fool in that parkin’ lot, and those were most of the last words I ever left in his mind.”

“Maybe he had a good fuckin’ reason for bein’ so stupid drunk he woke up not knowin’ where he was. Shit, I been there.” Donnelley just shook his head and sighed, “I told Laine, Ava, everyone who woke up and found each other that I was so fuckin’ sorry for lettin’ ‘em go out like that… I saw the woman that I-...” He looked sidelong at Dave and stopped himself for a second, “The woman… that I care so goddamn much about go down and there weren’t anythin’ I could fuckin’ do to stop it.”

“And even now that we’re up and walkin’ the fuck am I gonna say? I’ll get you next time? Just trust me?” Donnelley snorted bitterly and shook his head, “No matter what, I can never take any of that back. Not for Laine. Not for Ava. Ain’t never goin’ to be able to say any of that to Avery.”

He shrugged, not knowing what else to do or say, “I don’t know. That’s what’s on my mind.”

Dave heard him out, feeling his guts twist as Donnelley echoed his own thoughts and feelings. The guilt was something he understood. Pari, wherever she’d wound up, had called him their protector early on, and he’d adopted that persona, taken that responsibility. Then he’d somehow been the only one of them to walk away.

“It’s heavy shit,” he said. “But...I know it.” He trailed off, unsure of what else to say. His own guilt had gnawed at him every moment of every day. “I know how that feels. I do. I ain’t sure what...We can say, or do, about it, you know? I ain’t a good talker. ‘Specially about stuff like this. Laine, she said we didn’t do anythin’ wrong, didn’t fuck up. But I get how you feel. Watchin’ it all happenin’, not able to do a goddamn thing except go after the bastards after they’ve already pulled the trigger.”

He tightened a fist, his hate for the Russians rising for a brief moment. He sat in silence, then looked over at Donnelley. His admission about Laine had confirmed some things Dave had only suspected.

“Whatever happens, you got my gun in the fight,” he said finally. “We’re gonna handle our shit. Them Russian boys started a feud, and I’m plannin’ on showin’ them how an Ozark man handles his shit.”

Donnelley looked at Dave with some renewed vigor. Feeling that same sense of brotherhood he’d felt just like before those three days he was absent. Looking at him and knowing the both of them were rearing for the fight. He smiled, placing his hands together behind his head to support it, “You know that sayin’, the one I’m thinkin’ about,” he huffed a chuckle through his nose, “Don't mess with Texas.”

He turned serious then, nodding as he looked off at the middle distance, “We’ll get ours from ‘em. Every ounce of blood owed.” Donnelley spoke low and mean through a dark frown, “At least that much I can promise.

>...///

Laine shared a room with both Ava and Bajbala, the girl’s room as it was called. A pair of bunk beds and she could not shake the camp feeling every time they stayed in a safe house. She had called bottom bunk, putting the smaller redhead in the one above her and letting Baj take her pick of the other.

It was still early when she woke, checking her phone and tossing it across the bed. She lay still, wanting nothing more to go back to sleep but the dream had been unsettling, the floating bodies had opened their eyes and stared down at her. Laine was not eager to go back to that so she sat up, swinging her legs over the bunk in the oversized man’s undershirt they had been given. Her foot bumped a bag and she reached over, flicking on the desk lamp, adjusting the shade so it would not be too annoying to Baj who was still asleep across from her.

Laine pulled the bag up onto the bed, eager to get at the clean clothes and have a shower before the rest of the household woke up. Maybe she would make breakfast for everyone like she had back in the cabin in West Virginia.

She pulled open the bag and her helmet rested on top. Laine blinked at it, not recognizing it for a moment then set it aside. On top of her personal bag of clean clothes was the neatly folded tactical pants and jacket, the gray under thermal shirt and leggings. They were dirty, the blood still staining them and when she held up the pants there was a ragged hole on either side of the upper right thigh. Dark stains ran down the whole leg and the jacket was no better, the collar and front had been soaked.

Laine’s hands began to shake, she had no memory of dying, only what Donnelley had told her. Seeing her lifeless and she had believed him but it still had not touched her in the same way holding the clothes did. Her practiced eye knew by the amount of blood that had been spilled and the locations of the wounds death would have certainly occurred without immediate medical attention. She looked closer, making sure they were hers and a pin on the jacket lapel made her take a sharp breath.

The little death’s head moth that Ava had given her was still pinned, the blood crusted on the brass and enamel. Laine bit back a whimper and pushed the clothes off her lap as if they had burned her. Laine wrapped her arms around herself as she trembled so violently her teeth chattered. The sudden and very real idea she had actually died and somehow came back, perhaps replacing another life, hit her with the force that knocked her breath away.

A scream was trapped in her throat, she did not want to fall apart in front of the team. She had to be put together, she was the head doctor anyway. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she fought with breaking down. Laine closed her eyes and took deep breaths, pulling herself back from the brink, not wanting to look at the clothes again.

The rustling of bags coming into the building had woken Bajbala. She felt safe there with the other two members of UMBRA. They seemed human, at least, and that was enough for her to at least kick off her boots. Hypnagogic thoughts faded with the hushed sounds of that humanity from the bed across the room, causing her to turn over.

“These beds... aren’t very comfortable,“ she whispered out with a freshly woken voice. It was filler, the anticipation of her new assignment the real culprit of discomfort. Her room-mate's eyes were still wet in the soft glow of the lamp. She knew that look, that posture. A woman feeling powerless or maybe confused beneath a sudden painful weight, Laine was in distress, her repression communicating more than she had security to show. Bajbala leaned up with an arm. Her dark hair hung free and tangled.

“Are you okay?” she asked softly. Above her, Ava’s bed was undone and empty, part of the blanket hanging over the edge.

The sound of the voice startled her, jerking her out of the rhythmic breathing and she shook her head, her short black hair brushing against her neck. Laine took another breath and rubbed her hands over her face, embarrassed now at being caught by the newest member of their team. She tried to force a smile but it failed and she shrugged, “I’ll be okay, it’s just...”

Laine glanced over at the woman, studying her in the dim light. They were around the same age and dark haired but that was as much as she knew they had in common, this Afghani woman and the daughter of middle class Californians. She shook her head again, then said, “They told you what happened to us? That we died and came back.”

Her hands trembled again, her gaze drawn unwilling to the pile of clothing on the floor beside her bed. “It didn’t feel real, I don’t remember it. But that, that’s a crime scene.”

She blew a breath out and rubbed her eyes, “Sorry, you had to wake up to that. I’ll be alright, it’s just a shock to actually see it...the uh, the clothes I was wearing.”

Bajabala could see her look to the clothes. The blood stains were deep and dark like the articles were drenched in a puddle, whoever wore them likely wouldn't be breathing. It was hard believing what they were saying, but Laine's trauma was undeniable.

"No, no it's okay. I've been in and out of sleep." She waved it off then sat up and climbed out of bed wearing her same sweater and slipped on her pair of jeans that were folded at the foot. She approached Laine almost tip-toeing, " I heard. I don't know what to think of it. You are alive, now." The middle-eastern accent slipped through her tired voice.

Bajbala knelt down by the strewn contents of Laine’s bag. "Is there anything you need from here?" She asked while handling the bag, hiding away the blood-stained items to spare Laine from the sight.

Laine ran her fingers through her hair and looked up as Baj approached, "You'll find out. This weird shit..."

She dropped her hands in her lap, watching them tremble and she clenched them into fists. She had died and come back, and thank whatever god was out there she did not come back like Mrs. Baughman.

Another shudder ran through her and she swallowed hard, trying to focus on Baj's question. "Yes, that's what I brought with me. I was looking for my clothes. I want to shower."

In the bag was everything she brought with her from Idaho, black jeans and t-shirts, panties and everything else. Her laptop bag, her work. Her cigarettes.

"Do you see a black pack of cigarettes in there? I need a smoke before I do anything," Laine asked.

"That's a good idea. Maybe I'll take one after." Bajbala said. She searched inside the bag looking wherever she'd suspect the pack to be. From some fold she felt edges and pulled free a wrinkled black carton, a lighter fell loose to the floor. Inside many of them were crushed and the thick aroma seized her nose.

"Here ya go," she handed both over with an apologetic smile.

She zipped the stuffed bag half closed and sat down from her knees, leaving one of Laine’s clean outfits roughly folded on top.

Laine gave her a weak attempt at a smile and fished out one of the black Djarums, then reached for the cheap Zippo lighter. She struck the flame and took a deep drag, the cloves crickling as she did.

"Shit, sorry," she said, glancing up at the ceiling and remembered where she was. "Just this one, I promise."

Laine smoked for a moment, the calm starting to drift over her like ashes. "Did you want one?"

She looked into the crushed box, finding one only slightly bent. Laine held out the smoldering clove cigarette between her fingers, "I always thought these would be the death of me."

Her voice hitched slightly and she pressed the cigarette between her lips.

Bajbala sat quietly on her knees for a moment letting Laine find her peace. Her fair skin warmed in the light and the creamy stream of smoke dissipated beyond even silkier black hair; much straighter than Bajbala's.

"No, thank you. I'm not much a smoker." She smirked aside, briefly looking towards the floor and grabbing beneath her legs at the side. "It's your first smoke in what, four days? You're doing alright for having died once already."

Laine laughed a little at that, how many bummed cigarettes she had already gone through. She owed Donnelley a carton by now over the time she had lost hers or forgotten. “Yeah, you could say that. At least my own,” she replied, tapping the ashes into her cupped hand to avoid dropping them on the floor. “This is a hell of an introduction for you, but I guess we all get our trial by fire in the Program. And we’re not all like...those guys, THUNDER. We’re a different sort of team, you know?”

Her thoughts flicked back to Dave and Donnelley and the interrogation and execution of Michael. Her own hands now bloody after she had backed up over the Russian, running him over twice for good measure. She twitched her lips and took another drag, “Anyway, welcome aboard. We’ll probably be briefed soon, I have to start compiling my notes and...and the recordings.”

The air seemed to waver around her and Laine felt light headed, thinking about everything that had come down before the ambush. Her memory of the conversation with Ipiktok was disjointed and came in bits and pieces, thankfully she had recorded it. She wondered about the old shaman now and where he had gone or if he was dead, too.

Her hands trembled again and she fought back against the anxiety that swelled up, the crashing of realization that occurred with such a trauma. With grief.

Laine looked at Baj, then smiled a little sheepishly, her green eyes still glistening. “I’m sorry, I’m just...I’m processing this whole thing. You know? It’s a process...grief.”

Her academic detachment was helpful sometimes and she rambled, “There’s just stages to it, we all go through it...pretty much. I was in denial I think, because I don’t remember getting shot. I don’t even have a wound or scar...it’s easy to just think of it abstractly.”

She pinched the black cigarette between her first two fingers and drew on it hard enough to make her cheeks hollow. Holding the fragrant smoke, Laine slowly released it in a thin bluish stream away from Baj.

“But those clothes, if I was looking at them at a crime scene I would determine the person that had been wearing them exsanguinated,” she said, “That they bled out. I can see it, I’ve seen it enough. Those are the clothes of a dead person.”

Laine met her eyes briefly, “Feels weird, to mourn yourself but still be alive. Feels a little selfish, considering some did not come back. But...yeah, it’s a process.”

She shrugged, her tattooed shoulders on display in the sleeveless undershirt. Laine’s gaze shifted to the window where the sky was just starting to shift from black to gray.

“So,” Laine continued, wanting to steer the conversation away from herself, embarrassed at the outpouring. “What’s your thing with the CIA? I’m afraid I’m only a lowly stateside Fed. This spy stuff is rather new.”

Bajbala followed her through each word and occasionally muttered and nodded, subconsciously noting features like her tattoos. The fair and dark agent had her wits, only needing an anchor to pull herself up from the depths she was facing. The clove scent of smoke saturated the room, not bothering her but overwhelming the sleepiness.

"Oh," the question caught her off guard, rousing her into a different mode as her eyes met back with Laine. "No, please," she chuckled, "I couldn't do what you do I'm sure. I… watch people. Listen to them. Lots of following and waiting" She said glancing away. "Talk to them if I'm lucky. Then, if I'm told, make sure the ones that don't belong go away." She struck a hand through her hair, setting it back over her shoulder. "If you know Donnelly well, I'm with his sister group, basically."

She already knew there was no security in privacy, what she had seen only meant that this was the end of her road. Bajbala breathed a little easier as Laine leveled out.

"What is it you do?" She asked.

“I am sure you did a lot of important work, dangerous work,too,” Laine said. The thought of this woman eavesdropping on the Taliban and risking more than just her life doing it was impressive. If she was running with American operatives and was found out… Laine felt the prickling up her neck at what might have happened to her.

“Yeah, I know him. I’ve been with his working group since…” she glanced up as if to recall and it felt like years but it had only been only months. “Well, shit, since late spring?”

Laine reached up and brushed her hair behind her ear, “Time flies when you’re having fun, I guess.”

She stayed quiet for a moment when Bajbala asked her the same question, her once intense focus on her job had taken a back burner since she entered the Program. She smoked silently then smiled a bit, “I am with the FBI, behavioral analysis.”

Laine met her eyes then continued, “Basically we study violent criminals and with that information we use it to create profiles of unknown subjects. I also have a doctorate in psychology…”

She rolled her eyes, the fresh memory of her meltdown now even more needling. Laine finished the cigarette and crushed it out, leaving the butt on her nightstand. “Before that, I was a field agent and worked mostly missing and exploited children, international trafficking, things like that. It’s unfortunately been a theme in the cases we’ve had. Missing girls and women, murder. And much more.”

Laine sounded like someone Bajbala could have used long ago. Now, there likely was no way to find the child she was looking for. No records, family, no one from that time may even be alive.

"That's intriguing!" She declared. "You would get along well with some people at the agency with those skills." She thought even more of what Laine had experienced with UMBRA previously. Her time must have been extremely busy even if it was less than a year.

Bajbala peered around the room for her own nonexistent bag. All of her belongings within the large purse tucked beneath her bunk or hanging. Whatever she had in the vehicle she was assigned here was gone, somewhere.

"Did they pull you into this with some gimmick too?"

“I do get along with at least one or two,” Laine smiled slightly.

The next question reminded her of why she was there, the memory of the green shadows of Olympia State park and that black slab where no light reached. “It was one of my cases,” Laine said, “Sophie Childress. A missing college student from Seattle who had been gone a few weeks and her body recovered in the state park nearby but it was not a typical crime scene.”

She itched for another cigarette as she recalled the events, “She was murdered, left naked and mutilated on a strange black stone slab. It felt so wrong, of course now I know more but at the time I tried to write it off as just a trick of the mind. But I learned...that stone was pure malice.”

Laine glanced at Baj, “Then I got a visit. And an offer with a burner phone.”

She fell silent for a moment, “I took the offer to join a team that was supposedly part of some federal clandestine investigation team. I figured itwas just another taskforce. We were cleaning up after a retired Program agent. And found clues to a cabin in West Virginia. But before we went, Donnelley and Foster gave us the the talk..”

“And here we are,” Laine said, waving her hand around the room. “We’ve been chasing Russians in West Virginia and now here in Alaska.”

"That's horrible, and it goes on." Bajbala acknowledged.

"The talk." She repeated. "Not much help that was…" She traced Laine's story with her imagination, noting the eerie and the black slab. It wasn't clear yet, but the mission in Pakistan kept coming back around and maybe there was a connection like Foster insisted. Then, she was brought on much the same way as Laine.

"I don't want to get ahead of myself, but if there are more Russians to deal with, I'm glad for the team change. Those THUNDER guys," she grit her teeth in a false shock, "that was a trip that couldn't have been longer." She pushed herself up from her knees and started to bundle up her belongings, giving Laine a short look.

"So, I need to get something done, you can shower first and I'll catch you in the brief?" Bajbala said, waving the phone in her hand and rolling her eyes about corresponding with her home station.

Laine nodded, her feelings about THUNDER were they were a necessary evil in their line of work and she avoided any personal interaction. Professionalism was enough for her.

"Right, of course," she said, taking the clothes Baj had laid out. Her gaze flicked down to the bloody remains of her old clothing. "I'll take care of that as well."

She left the woman and made her way to the restroom, she could hear the murmur of voices from the kitchen and smelled coffee. Laine shut the door behind her and turned on the water.

>...///

Whatever nightmare woke him, Queen did not remember it, just the sudden awareness of being awake and the sweat on his pillow told him he had one. What a blessing, not to remember. He closed his eyes, listening to the snores of Ghost. He always seemed to sleep well. [/i]Like a big psychotic baby.[/i]

Queen rolled out of his bunk and groped in the darkness for his Kools, putting one between his lips and the lighter into the pocket of his gray sweatpants. Still bare chested and barefoot, he wandered to the restroom to take a piss. After he was done, he washed his hands and face, looking at the bloodshot whites but he had seen himself worse. Water dripped from his sandy beard onto his chest and he reminded himself he should probably hit the weights once things settled.

As he returned he passed the living room and he spotted a floof of red hair poking out from one side of the loveseat. Queen grinned slightly, then it faded. He had not dared tell Dave or Donnelley about how he had taken her along for a dangerous venture to rob a drug dealer for much needed pills and cash, letting the story of Prince’s rescue stand alone. He sure as shit would never admit how he lulled the dealer into a position of vulnerability.

Queen’s lips curled at that memory, the fear in the much larger man’s eyes both thrilled and sickened him knowing he had put it there. He passed the living room and went back into the darkness of the men’s bedroom. He found the wonderfully Alaksan brand of tacky t-shirt he bought, the three wolves and teal and purple colors and pulled it over his head to hide the canvas of colorful tattoos. He put on the boots that had been returned, the clothes he had brought and those he had been wearing when he died still sat in the bag beside his bunk.

Once he was dressed, he went back to the living room. Ava slept alone on the loveseat and the dalmatian was curled on her, his head resting on her hip. Queen passed him and patted his spotted head. The dog blinked awake and wagged his tail slowly, yawning.

“Yeah, it’s early,” he murmured, pausing to look out the window into the backyard. A fire burned in the pit and he could see the backs of Donnelley and Dave passing the flask. Queen sighed inwardly, swallowing back unnecessary jealousy. Things change, that was always a sure thing and he could not remember the thing that likely kept them up all night.

He walked over to the kitchen, hearing the clicking of Prince’s claws on the wooden floor as he tagged along.

“Coming to keep this pitiful specimen company? You had a much nicer bed,” he muttered around his cigarette before leaning over to light it on the gas stove. Queen shuffled around the kitchen, putting coffee on then leaned back against the counter, smoking. He knew he should go outside but had no desire to interrupt the men by the fire.

Ava blinked awake as the warm weight that had been snuggled up with her disappeared. She lifted her head up, spotting the light on in the kitchen and seeing Prince walk off in that direction.

She laid her head back down, rubbing at her eyes and contemplating going back to sleep. She looked over at the couch where Dave had been but found it empty.

The beep of the coffee maker caught her attention and she uncurled herself to make her way to the smell of dark roast.

She walked in expecting to find Dave, but was surprised to see Queen leaning against the counter. Even without her glasses, she could recognize his build and features, blurry as they may be.

“Oh, good morning Queen,” She said around a yawn, reaching down to idly pet Prince’s head. “What time is it?”

When Ava entered the kitchen, the dog jumped up and began doing circles around until she pet him and he wagged his tail, whining for attention. Queen glanced up and smiled a bit, then turned to tap out his cigarette in the empty sink. “Morning, Angel. It’s just past fuck off o’clock. I hope I didn’t wake you.”

His pale gaze ran over her in the characteristically cute attire, a pajama set featuring the plump Pusheen cat. He tried not to linger over her chest under the loose shirt and flicked his eyes somewhere else, over the top of her head which was surrounded by a halo of red fluff. “Seems like we’re not the only ones up, if you’re looking for Dave. He’s outside talking with Donnelley.”

Prince whined again and pawed at Ava. Queen said, “I wasn’t sure where his leash was or I would have taken him out. Probably could let him run around the backyard, the fence is solid.”

He turned to check the coffee as it ran through the maker. Queen stretched to reach the cupboard, his shirt riding up and the tattoos of guns on his pelvic bone peeked over his sweats. He gathered mugs, most of them the diner style white but a few leftover personalized ones from whatever team had been there before them. He handed her one of those and moved to the refrigerator for the milk.

“How you holding up?” he asked, popping the milk open. “Get your prescription and all?”

“M’okay.” She said looking down at the mug for a few quiet moments before finally looking down at Prince. “I think you’re hungry, that’s why you’re in the kitchen. For breakfast.” She scratched his ears, setting down the mug on the counter and moving over to the cabinet with Prince’s dog food. “Prince, sit.”

Prince sat and wiggled in place as he anticipated being fed.

“That good?” he grinned at her sleep creased face. “Hey I was thinking maybe I could make breakfast for the gang.”

Queen went to the pantry and pulled out two boxes of Bisquick mix, “I can’t cook much but I do make some pretty good pancakes.”

Ava looked at him and smiled. “Usually that’s what Laine does, but I think she’d like being surprised.” She pulled down the medium sized bag of dog food and poured out some into the cheap doggy food bowl they picked up at Target. She packed the bag up and stepped back. “Good boy, go eat.”

She turned to Queen. “You don’t suppose there’s a waffle iron in here somewhere?” She said with a faint chuckle, rubbing at her eyes.

“That so?” he said, “I wouldn’t want to step on her toes.”

Queen grinned then and a wicked gleam flashed in his eyes, “She’s a little scary when she’s mad.”

He looked over at the pantry, “Waffle maker? I didn’t see anything like that. But trust me, the pancakes I make are my mother’s recipe.”

Shaking the box of premade mix, he smiled and went to find a large bowl. As he worked, he felt the tickling need rising in the back of his mind, crawling up his neck and the craving hit him. Queen thought about the stash under his bunk and found himself reading the instructions on the box of mix three times. Making pancakes was fun, but everything was more fun on cocaine. He had yet to try what he stole, trying to hold out to get some test strips but the distraction was growing and he had felt the withdrawal over the last few days.

He shook the box and set it down, rubbing his hands down the front of the wolves on his shirt. Queen glanced at Ava, the missing bottle of Xanax sprung to mind. Trying to distract himself, he asked, “So, did you ever get your prescription filled or...you trying something else?”

Ava looked over at Queen, putting the coffee decanter back after pouring herself a cup. “Um, no, they said they were going to be bringing our stuff by so I had to wait to get the prescription I had brought with me.” She explained, digging the sugar out of the cupboard and a spoon to dump into her coffee.

Her shoulders were tense and she busied herself with making up her coffee without creamer. “We should pour some coffee for Donnelley and Dave, I can take it out to them.”

Queen shifted his gaze over to her, side eying Ava as she made coffee. He picked up a mug that had a pair of polar bears on it and filled it with coffee, then a little milk. “That’s good you got your meds back, guess you won’t be needing that Xanax then.”

He turned and leaned a hip against the counter and smiled a little as he blew off the steam from the cup. Queen was trying not to laugh, it was sort of adorable that she stole it but at the same time a troubling action. Secrecy and stealing were red flags, he should know. He was DEA.

Ava dropped the spoon she was mixing with and looked back over at Queen in surprise before guilt and shame quickly shifted her expression. “I...I didn’t think you’d notice.” She said quietly, looking away and running a hand over her face.

Queen glanced around then leaned towards her, “Darlin’, I shoved a gun in someone’s mouth for that shit, I keep track.”

He looked her over, a mixture of amusement and something deeper glinted in his eyes. “Question is, why did you think you needed to steal it? It was my idea in the first place to help you. I wouldn’t deny you anything, but I’d at least get the chance to teach you how to use without hurting yourself. Use the Xanax, that is.”

Queen looked down into his coffee, studying it for a while before he added, “I won’t say anything about it. This is between you and me. If you want some for emergencies or when the Klonopin just isn’t enough, let me know. I’d have started you with .5 milligrams since you already use heavy stuff.”

Ava covered her face with her hands and leaned back against the counter. “I don’t know.” She said quietly. “You left the car to go to the bathroom, Laine and Donnelley were talking and the tacklebox was right there. I just...I guess I didn’t want anyone to know.” She sniffed and lowered her hands to wrap her arms around herself. “Because if no one knew, then it wasn’t…” She trailed off, shaking her head at herself. “I’m sorry.”

Queen set his coffee down and shifted a little closer to her, clasping his hands as he leaned an elbow on the counter, “Then it wasn’t real? If no one knows, then it’s easier to pretend it’s normal. And maybe you were worried about what they might think of you. What the doc or Dave might think.”

He stayed quiet for a moment, torn between the want to do what he knew was right and what the devil inside whispered to him. The addict, the adrenaline junky, the libertine in him, he could try and turn it to his favor. Queen pressed his lips together, jerking his head and shrugging his shoulders as if to rid him himself physically of that craving he felt earlier.

“Do you still want it?” he asked plainly.

“Part of me does,” She answered quietly, still looking at the kitchen floor. “Part of me doesn’t and is scared. I usually try to drink tea or watch something cute if I’m having a bad time and that usually helps. But, the Xanax worked better and quicker…” She trailed off and scrubbed her hands over her face. “I shouldn’t keep it.” She said, finally lifting up her head with a firm resolve to her expression.

It faltered after a second and she glanced to Queen. “Right?”

Queen only looked at her, the same trusting face that had turned to him for protection in Anchorage. He could push and pull her at this moment, he knew she teetered on the edge of something that would start her down into the hole he was in. And how it could be manipulated for his own gain. But it would be a betrayal of a magnitude he might not be able to live with. Whether from his own conscience or Dave’s buck knife.

He bit his thumbnail then shook his head, “That’s up to you, Angel. You know the answer without me telling you.”

She looked at him and sighed, her shoulders sagging as she came to her decision. “I have my proper prescription now...I don’t need it.” She said, whether she was saying it to Queen or herself was unclear. “I’ll give it back.”

She wrapped an arm around his shoulders and gave him a partial hug. “Thanks Queen, for talking to me.”

Queen drew a deep breath when she answered, relief that he did not expect washed over him. They both had passed the offers of a darker temptation and he smiled at her when she gave him a side hug. “Anytime,” he said, turning to look down at her, “I knew you would do the right thing. But if you ever...it gets hard sometimes. When you know how quick something might work but there’s a price. And I don’t want you to pay that.”

He nudged her gently, meeting her gaze, “It’s Billy, by the way.”

Ava blinked her eyes in surprise, then a smile started to spread across her face. “Billy.” She said, while looking at him. “I like it. It suits you.” She turned and gave him a full hug. “Nice to meet you Billy.”

“Thanks, my mom gave it to me,” he quipped, then he smiled when she hugged him. Queen put a hand on her back and held her briefly, glancing up to check that Dave or Donnelley wasn’t walking in. It was an innocent thing but he knew his own reputation. Pulling back gently, he looked down at Ava, “Just keep it between us, or you know...not around Ghost or Poker, it’s a THUNDER thing. Just call signs.”

She nodded as he stepped back, wiping at her eye and letting a deep sigh, her shoulders feeling heavy but at the same time, something inside felt lighter. “Right, okay, I can do that.” She nodded, looking over at Prince who was watching them with his head cocked to the side. “Done eating? I guess I should take you outside.” She chuckled, happy to put the topic of the pills she stole behind her.

“I should take some coffee out to Donnelley and Dave.” She said, glancing around for the extra mugs. “Dave takes his black and I think Donnelley does too...I might be the only person in this house that doesn’t drink it black.”

“Te- uh, Donnelley does take his coffee very straight,” he said, the twitch of his lips hidden under the coffee mug he brought up to them. “Like his whiskey.”

Queen lowered his cup, the coffee was decent and he held it so she could see the caramel color of the brew after he had put milk in it. “I think I need a little sugar.”

“At least you understand me.” She chuckled, passing him the bag of sugar. She poured some milk for her own cup of coffee and lifted up the mug, pausing as she noticed the writing on the side. It was a very cute white mug, with a black handle, some watercolor style flower painted on the ceramic below some black cursive writing.

“I don’t have my glasses on, but does this say, ‘It’s a throat punch kinda day’?” She asked Queen, holding up the mug for him to see.

“Why suffer when you don’t have to?” he said, adding a half a spoon of sugar, then a little more. He looked at the mug she held up and chuckled, “Yep, looks like it. Must have not been a morning person.”

He tasted his coffee and nodded, “Well, you gonna get their coffee. I might as well get to mixing this batter.”

Ava found herself tempted to keep the mug for fun, before chuckling at Queen. “It’s not waffles, but I’ll take it.”

>...///

Ava slid open the door to the backyard and Prince bolted out, galloping along on his long legs with his tongue out and his tail whipping around. “Um, incoming.” Ava chuckled sheepishly, stepping outside and shutting the door, three mugs of hot coffee carefully cradled in her hands. “I thought you guys might want some coffee, it's,” She shivered as the cold seeped in through the relatively thin layers of her pajamas. “Brisk, out here.”

Dave brightened when Ava came outside, his delight at seeing her plain. He hauled himself upright, knees cracking, and then reached to help her with the coffee.

“Hey, mornin’ sugar,” he said as he took the mugs. He kept the red flannel one for himself with a grin, passing the other to Donnelley, then leaned down to kiss her forehead. “How’d you sleep?”

She smiled at the kiss, happy to see him happy. “I slept alright, that loveseat is surprisingly comfortable; even with Prince taking up half of it.” She looked at Donnelley taking the last mug and said, “That was Queen’s idea, not mine. He insisted.” She inched herself behind Dave.

When Ava showed up through the sliding door to the back Donnelley was busy putting another piece of wood on the fire and shifting around the others. As time went on, it became less about erasing the traumatic reminder and more about keeping the ambience with Dave in his company. Donnelley watched them greet each other and he snapped his attention away when Dave kissed Ava’s forehead, feeling a longing for Laine who had still yet to show. He went back to laying in his slouching back in his chair and accepted his mug with a tight smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

He took a sip of the coffee and then looked at it when Ava had said something about the design. He snorted, nodding, “Funny.” He said, chuckling a tiny bit, “I’d go back to Dalhart before I step foot back here any day.”

“Thanks, Ava.” He added, raising the mug to her.

Ava smiled at him, walking over to the fire to take advantage of its warmth. “Queen is making pancakes, hopefully Laine won’t be too mad someone is intruding on her territory.” She said with a faint chuckle.

She looked between Dave and Donnelley, her customary glasses on her face after fishing them out of her bag of belongings. She could see the bone deep wariness in both their postures and her immediate question about how they were doing got caught in her throat.

After everything, how else could they be doing?

She looked down at her coffee and then at the fire, the flames reflecting in her glasses.

Prince trotted over with a tennis ball he had found, walking up to Donnelley and sitting down next to him with the toy in his mouth. Proudly presenting his find.

“You guys...doing okay out here?” She asked, looking up at both of them.

“Yeah,” Donnelley said, as if it was. As if Donnelley hadn’t been crying into the crook of his elbow all morning trying not to wake everyone up thinking on how he would’ve died a shit father. He smiled at Ava, “Yeah, we’re just enjoyin’ a fire.”

He held his hand out for the ball in Prince’s mouth and he dropped it slobbery into Donnelley’s hand. Unbothered, Donnelley tossed it to the other side of the yard and watched Prince sprint after it for all he had.

“Doin’ fine,” Dave said. He dropped a hand on the back of Ava’s neck and gave it a squeeze, then reluctantly stepped away. He’d caught Donnelley’s reaction. He was hyper alert these days, watching everything, and while it hurt that his shows of affection with Ava caused his friends pain, he wasn’t going to mention it.

Laine’s shower was brief and the change into her own clothes gave her a sense of comfort she had not expected. She no longer was in that gray area of existence, wearing the clothes of a dead woman or some pieced together things from the PX. Black jeans, Converse sneakers, and the David Bowie t-shirt and she felt at home again.

She left a fresh towel for Baj and hung hers up on the back of the bunk bed to dry. The clothes she had worn when she died were still there on the floor and Laine forced herself to pick them back up, to look at them. Just as she did with the first crime scene and child exploitation photos she had to face for her job. She had to bear witness.

Laine saw Queen making pancakes, they made eye contact and she tilted her head slightly, “Smells good.”

He watched her walk out the sliding glass door before turning back and flipping the golden brown cakes onto a towel covered plate.

Laine paused, watching her team. Ava and Dave, they had been inseparable since the reunion and she did not blame them one bit. It was another story for herself and Donnelley, always toeing that line especially with THUNDER in the house. She saw him slumped in his chair and tossing the ball for the dalmatian who seemed to revel in the play.

She crossed the patio to the firepit and said nothing, pulling the moth pin from her jacket and pocketing it before she unceremoniously began tossing her clothes into the flames. She saw bits of clothing still in there, the heavy seamed collars and cuffs the last to be consumed.

“Morning,” she said, throwing the last piece, the pants she had worn with the ragged hole in the leg and dark stained. She bundled them up and tossed them into the center, watching the flames catch the fabric.

Laine glanced over at Donnelley, meeting his gaze. His eyes were tired, bloodshot, and sad. There was such sadness in there she felt her chest tighten and she wanted only to curl up on his lap and hold him.

Donnelley almost flinched when the first article of clothing hit the fire and sent up smoldering ashes. The clothes caught but the flames receded a bit. Donnelley just reached down and squirted a stream of lighter fluid into the fire and watched it roar in delight at the sudden resolve it was given. His first genuine smile, and it only grew when he looked at Laine. He wanted to reach out and hold her hand, or jump up and hug her, hold her tight and just feel her skin and hear and feel her breathe against him. Instead he just swallowed that lump and held back those urges, “Hey, you.” His tired voice croaked, with whatever love he could muster into it.

Dave looked from Donnelley to Laine. He gave the dark-haired woman a smile and a nod, then put his hand on Ava’s shoulder.

“C’mon sugar,” he said. “It’s kinda chilly out here, you still got your hoodie right? Let’s go grab that.” He gave her shoulder another squeeze and gently urged her towards the house.

“We’ll be back in a bit, I wanna warm up too,” he said to Donnelley and Laine.

Ava happily went with Dave, eager to be out of the cold. She looked to Laine as she passed, though she was surprised by the burning of the bloody clothing, she couldn’t say she didn’t understand. She smiled at Laine, giving her a goodmorning wave before stepping into the warmth of the house with Dave.

Laine watched the fire jump and dance as the starter fluid hit it. She waved at Ava and briefly met Dave's eyes with a hint of an appreciative smile. Her hair was still damp and even as close to the fire she shivered as she looked back at Donnelley, hearing the weariness in his voice. His blue eyes told her something of what was going on in his head and heart.

She thought about making a joke they had destroyed evidence, her own murder but even her dark sense of humor failed her and Laine moved over to Donnelley's side. She stood close enough to brush her hip against the back of the chair, the scent of the body wash still lingering on her freshly washed skin.

"Hey, there," she replied, her voice more husky than usual and she moved to rest a hand on his shoulder. He might feel a slight trembling before she gave him a squeeze. "Watching the sunrise?"

“Like always.” Donnelley said, a small smirk in his voice, “Gotta make up for the three we… missed.

Donnelley leaned closer to Laine as she squeezed his shoulder. The moment grew quiet and he closed his eyes and sighed, turning his face to rub against her forearm. He got up from sitting and stood close to Laine, almost ashamed of how haggard he knew he had to look after not sleeping all night and having alcohol and cigarettes for breakfast. He searched her eyes and then looked away, “Dave and I, we… talked. And I said it to Ava, but…” Donnelley shook his head, “If that was it, Laine… if we just didn’t wake up like we did, I know my daughter would never get to know me, and there’d be so many things I wish I could’ve said to her.”

He paused, stepping a bit closer to her until they were almost touching, “And you.”

Laine gazed up at him, taking in the rough beard and the patch of scar tissue, and the fine lines that seemed a little deeper now. How much she wanted to touch him and assure him but held back. She glanced towards the house and then back at him.

"It just hit me," she said, then turned to the fire pit. "Seeing those clothes...and the damage. It...it was real. I might have never..."

She sighed and rubbed her hand over her forehead and through her short dark hair. "I'm so sorry you have to remember it."

Laine met his eyes, her deep green and his bright blue, the longing clear in the depths. There were things she had wanted to tell him, but fear had held her back. Now standing with him, her heart jumped and she murmured, "I just want to hold you so much right now."

“Me too.” Donnelley said, he reached forward and hooked one of his fingers around hers, “God, you have no idea how much I just want to lay next to you.”

His smile was there, but there was a sadness in his eyes, a gathering wetness. He chuckled and wiped at his eyes, muttering an apology. He moved his hand over hers and held it, walking away from the back patio while Prince looked at them leaving through the closed sliding door. Once they were away from any prying eyes in windows, he leaned into her and looked into her eyes. He chuckled, “I fuckin’ hate not just bein’ able to do this.”

He leaned in and pressed his lips against hers, eyes closing and his hands on her waist. Laine closed her eyes as well, a flush of warmth rushing through her body when his lips touched hers she reached to run her fingers through his shaggy red hair.

Her lips parted slightly against his, inviting him in as her pulse raced with excitement and the danger. She murmured against his mouth, "Me too..."

Laine finally broke the kiss, pressing up against him as she slipped her arms over his shoulders to hold him, "I've been wanting to just get to hug you."

Donnelley accepted the hug, slipping his own arms around Laine and nuzzling his face against her neck, taking in her scent and breathing deep. The soft feeling of her skin on his and just the closeness of their bodies. He could feel the horrible feelings of the past few days slip away ever so slowly as they held each other. He stayed like that for a moment, knowing what he wanted to say, because it just felt right in that moment. But there was still that fear in him, that it would send her running, or that he would ruin it like the rest of his romances. He muttered out, “Laine…”

She clung to him, the feeling of his strong body and the protection of his arms even to a woman like Laine was a deep comfort. Even more she felt the emotion they had not voiced, not dared entertain thoughts of for too long in fear it might show on their faces. The loss it would cause if they were found out. It all slipped back, into the cold fog and she nuzzled against his neck when she heard him whisper her name.

The words did not come, the ones she felt as sure as she had felt in the moments before their first kiss. Big strong operator CIA agent but she felt his fear and understood it, she had enough of her own self doubt and worries over repercussions. Her slim fingers ran through his hair and cupped his jaw as she met his gaze, holding him.

"I love you," she murmured, her smoke soft voice just audible to him.

He pulled back from her slowly, searched her face and his eyes settled on hers. Whatever they found, it was honest. He smiled softly, and chuckled, leaning forward and ever so gently kissing her, “I love you too.”

Laine smiled at his admittance, her eyes now glistening as she held him. It was out now, they could not put those words back and it may show now more than ever. A brief thought to how they could possibly sneak back to his master bedroom entered her mind but she waved it away. There were too many people in the safehouse and a couple she hardly knew enough to trust.

Instead, she kissed Donnelley again, hugging him close as she leaned back against the wooden siding of the house.

>...///

Ava set down her mug on the coffee table, sitting down on the couch and looking over at her bag with her belongings that had been put by the loveseat. She could hear Queen moving around in the kitchen, smelt the sweet scent of pancakes in the air and sighed. They were as alone as they were going to be.

She looked up at Dave and smiled tiredly at him. “How are you really doing Dave?” She asked, her voice soft but searching.

“I’m...Tired,” Dave said as he sat beside her. He scooted up next to Ava, slipping his arm around her waist and holding her against him. He sighed and smiled weakly. “Just tired, sugar. Things have been…”

He paused, then shrugged. “We all went through a lot, an’ it all happened so fast. I just wanna get away from here. From...Everything, just for a bit, ya know?”

She leaned against him as he pulled her in, resting her head against his chest and listening to him speak. “Yeah, I understand that.” She said, putting a hand on his knee and giving it a gentle squeeze. “We’ll be out of here soon, I’m sure.” She looked up at him again and leaned up to kiss his cheek. “Then we can go back to my place for a bit and you can go see your son.”

“I’d like that,” he smiled. He leaned down for a kiss, holding her close for a moment before reluctantly pulling back. “I’m lookin’ forward to spendin’ time with you. Just us, without all this shit goin’ on.”

“Me too.” She sighed, leaning back against him, her own exhaustion both physically and emotionally catching up to her. “Alaska is so pretty, but I think it might be ruined for me.” She said with a hollow chuckle.

A glint of metal caught her eye and she glanced up, seeing her St. Michael’s pendant hanging around Dave’s neck. She smiled and reached up to touch it, running her finger over the engravings.

“I took it from uh...From your personal effects,” he said. He cleared his throat. “The chain was a bit short, so I put it on a dogtag chain. But...I wanted somethin’ else to remember you by. You can have it back, if you want it.”

Ava felt tears start to well up in her eyes. “Oh, right,” She chuckled and pushed her glasses up to rubbed at her eyes. “I forgot for a second…” She shook her head, sniffing softly.

“Did I ever tell you how I got that necklace?” She asked Dave, adjusting her glasses back down to look up at him.

“Don’t believe you have,” Dave said. He reached up and brushed her cheek, giving her a squeeze to comfort her. His own heart twisted when he saw the tears in her eyes. “Ya wanna tell me now?”

“My grandparents gave it to me, the ones from New Jersey I told you about.” She sighed and leaned into Dave’s embrace. “When I was little I had nightmares off and on, but when I was 13 they were really bad. It was a hard year for me and my grandparents got me this pendant,” She reached up to touch it. “To wear when I go to sleep, so the Archangel Michael would watch over me in my dreams.”

She smiled at the memory and studied the pendant. “It...didn’t really help with the nightmares, but just having it as a reminder that they wanted me to be safe, even in my sleep...It helped when I was awake.”

Ava lifted her bright blue eyes to meet Dave’s. “I want you to keep it. I want you to be safe.”

Dave sniffed, swallowed hard, and put his other arm around Ava to pull her into a tight hug. He laid his cheek on top of her head and took a breath, closing his eyes for a moment.

“Thank you, sugar,” he whispered. After a long moment he released her, then raised her face to his for another quick kiss. “We’ll be home soon. Get some time off. Just us. Just hang in there.”

“I know.” She smiled at the kiss, reaching up to touch his cheek. “I’m excited, Thor will pout for half a day for me being gone for so long. Then he’ll be attached at the hip for a week.” She sighed and touched their foreheads together. “I can’t wait and I’m happy that you’ll be there. However long you might need.”

“Good,” he chuckled. “We’ll get plenty of time to recharge.” He gave her forehead a final quick peck and then sat back, content to simply hold her while they lounged. “You think breakfast is ‘bout ready? I could eat.”

“You’d have to ask Chef Queen.” She chuckled, pointing over to her bag of stuff. “I do still want to bust out that hoodie, you know the one.” She flushed and smiled at him with a slightly awkward wink. “It’s soft and cozy.” Dave laughed, coloring slightly at the memories at the BLACKBOX, Ava wearing that hoodie and...Not much else. He gave her a quick squeeze and then let her go, pushing himself to his feet. He went to go check on breakfast and refill my coffee,” he said. “You can dig out your hoodie. Want me to refill yours?”

“That would be great, thanks.” She stood up with a stretch and wandered over to the plain military duffle bag. “Ignore the weirdly threatening writing on the side of the mug.”

He picked up their mugs, looked at hers, and laughed. “Throat punch...I’ll be back,” he chuckled, then headed for the kitchen with a mug in each hand.

“I said ignore it!” Ava called after him with a grin. She shook her head and unzipped the bag, finding the laptop bag first and instantly pulled out, opening it to give it a look over. She sighed in relief seeing everything was still there from her laptop, to her Switch and even her little sketch book. She smiled and fished that out along with a spare pencil, setting them on the coffee table.

Setting the satchel aside, she dug around in the duffle bag and found her fancy, English style coat neatly folded inside, her hiking boots and her other outfits. She found the hoodie she was looking for tucked at the bottom and as she picked it up she discovered an unfamiliar bag. It looked like a plastic trash bag, wrapped around a set of folded clothes and taped shut.

She picked it up, confused for a few moments before realization clicked. She looked toward the sliding glass door leading into the backyard, the glow and the dancing flames of the small fire Donnelley had lit. Her mind drifted to the sight of Laine, chucking her bloody clothing into the inferno and she felt her hands start to shake.

She shook her head, took in a deep breath and tucked the plastic wrapped clothes back into the duffle bag. She slipped on her hoodie and dug around until she found her prescription bottle. Without much thought, she twisted open the lid and swallowed back one of the pills, shutting her eyes and breathing for a few moments.

Then she tucked her pills away, picked up her little sketchbook and pencil and sat back down on the couch. The clicking of claws on the hardwood alerted her to Prince’s approach, even before he rested his head on her lap with an almost deep, rumbling sigh.

Ava smiled at the dog, giving his soft ears a scratch and opening her sketchbook, waiting for Dave to come back with their coffee.

>0900...///

Donnelley was standing at the back wall, arms crossed as they all filtered into the room. He watched all of them find their places, watching Laine. Bajbala was on her lonesome, being the odd one out still with no idea what she just got dropped into. Foster swept his eyes over all of them and waited for them to all settle before he spoke. The idle chit chat died down as they found their places and Foster began, “With the interrogation of Ivan Belyaev and the killing of his team, the GRU operations in Alaska have effectively been severely crippled or ruined. From what we can surmise from intercepted transmissions, the Kremlin is not happy.”

“Since he was not under Official Cover and operating clandestinely, they can’t really do anything about it. No legal leg to stand on.” Foster smirked, “That said, there is still the threat of moles inside the Program, and perhaps other elements of the US Government and intelligence community.”

“We have a list of names and locations from Belyaev, and Office of Intelligence and Office of Security is hard at work vetting all of these.” Foster crossed his arms then, looking from Donnelley to the others, “With the… betrayal of several Program teams by their own, security is a concern. Because of this, I’m folding THUNDER into UMBRA both for protection and to augment UMBRA’s capabilities.”

“Speaking of augmenting, I’d also like to welcome our newest member to UMBRA. Everyone,” Foster rose a hand in gesture to Bajbala, “This is Bajbala Shirzad, from the Special Activities Center at Langley. Along with Donnelley and Queen there, she’s well-versed at acting clandestinely in the interest of US objectives, and now in interest to the Program’s.”

“I understand that the CSAR mission in Noatak was not simple. None of us thought it was going to be, but…” Foster cleared his throat, reluctant to look at them now, “Hypergeometric anomalies around the town of Noatak, as well as the reserve itself were reported to me by Poker.”

“Whether or not Ipiktok Irniq’s activities there were the reason I’m… able to talk to some of you here is up for debate.” Foster looked at Donnelley, then away at the others, “The official story of what went down in Noatak is that the US Marshal Service, the ATF, and the FBI were attempting to serve a warrant on both Ipiktok Irniq and Yutu Aklaq. This resulted in the deaths of both Ipiktok and Yutu, as well as local tribal officer Tsarlis Inuksuk.”

“The Home Agencies of Agents Edward Ekewaka Fuaalau, callsign Maui, Avery Morales, Sarah Jung, and the rest will be notified of their deaths in the line of duty.” Foster’s voice was sullen and low, “They will be buried with full honors in their home states. A list will be put up, but as always, attendance at these funerals by active members of the Program are forbidden due to the clandestine nature of our work.”

“Please refrain from visiting until an appropriate time. I’m sorry for all of your losses,” Foster looked up at them, and Donnelley wouldn’t meet his eye, simply staring out the window bitterly, “It never gets easier. I know.”

Foster cleared his throat then, “Well, our flight back to the mainland US is scheduled for twelve-hundred. Now’s the time for questions. I understand there’s some Intel to be shared.”

There was a brief but serious pause in the room. Bajbala scooted herself onto a creaking stool ready to soak up the immensity of their situation. Prince took an obtuse pass at her. Besides his wagging tail he matched the grimacing Tex. She paid the toll with some scratching and pats behind his ears before he moved on, satisfied.

Ava stopped staring Foster down when Prince sat down next to her, resting his head on her leg while looking at Foster, a decidedly unhappy sound rumbling from his chest. She stroked his head, sparing a glance over at Donnelley before sighing and addressing the room at large, “When we encountered GRU operatives at Ipiktok’s compound, we recovered a number of their devices.”

Ava shifted, absently brushing at some of the white dog hairs clinging to her dusky rose sweater dress. “Like I told you,” She looked at Foster flatly, none of the usual spark of warmth in her blue eyes. “At the barn, I managed to de-encrypt their devices and discovered what appear to be official Russian government documents, likely their mission parameters. I copied them over onto an external harddrive that I’m sure the Program still has. They’re in Russian so they’ll need to be translated and then likely decoded. I have a copy on my laptop still so I thought we could also take a crack at it.” She finished, still stroking Prince’s head while the dog watched Foster intently.

“Thank you, Ava.” Foster smiled tightly at her for a brief moment before his face took on a more tepid expression. He looked at Donnelley, then the others, “I know this may come at a very inopportune time for many of you, but due to concerns about the safety of this Working Group, and some concerns that we are being targeted directly by foreign elements…”

“Working Group UMBRA is to be placed on administrative leave for an indeterminate period of time until the issue of security breaches is concluded.” Donnelley’s eyes turned from the window to Foster, and Foster could already tell there was a quickly spreading wildfire in them, “UMBRA is to officially stand down pending an internal investigation into the Program carried out by trusted persons. Any evidence and intelligence gathered in relation to UMBRA’s cases is to be handed over to be disseminated to the Working Group taking over the West Virginia case.”

“That’s fuckin’ bullshit, Foster.” Donnelley growled from his corner, walking a few steps closer until he was behind the couch that Ava was on, “What about my personal work with the Company?”

“You are also being put on administrative leave with the Agency-“

“Fuck that!” Donnelley yelled, “You motherfucker, you remember what happened there! I was close to something!”

“Iraq wasn’t sanctioned. You weren’t even supposed to be operating in that capacity, and you and Jason were effectively rogue actors!” Foster squared up with Donnelley, though he kept his distance, “This is an official order from the Director of Operations. Program and Agency. I’m sorry, Donnelley-“

Fuck you.” Donnelley snarled, gripping one of the cushions on the couch and squeezing down on it as if it was Foster’s throat, “Anzor Bekzhaev. I had him. He was still out there.”

“We are to stand down. That’s enough.” Foster said.

“Not for me.” Donnelley hissed, turning and exiting the room, going back to the backyard.

“Are there any other questions or concerns?” Foster asked after a heavily pregnant silence.

Laine looked at the notes in her lap, the drone footage on the USB, and the other pieces of evidence gathered from the cabin and Yutu’s home. She reached down and began stuffing them back into her laptop bag, the internal rage now burning masked by her composure but it was a very razor thin edge to the coolness in her expression. She zipped the bag up and slid it over her shoulder, her heart racing as she watched Donnelley snap and exit the house. A part of her wondered if it was her fault, if their relationship had been whispered about like every other damn turn UMBRA made. That would just be icing on the shit cake that had been UMBRA’s luck in their cases since they began.

She glanced at Ava, then Dave and to poor Baj, what an impression they had made. Laine stood up and looked at Foster, then turned to leave the room without a word.

Bajbala's eyes danced back and forth between the team, her frustration building with everyone else. It didn't take five minutes for the debriefing to crash. Bajbala turned green at the confrontation but swallowed the discomfort.

"I'm glad to be working with you all!" She said to the room, prickly. She dreaded the idea of being ferried back to Langley. Being a lab-room liaison for her peers wasn't her idea of fulfilling work and neither was four months of training.

Dave gave Bajbala an apologetic shrug. He figured this wasn't the best first impression. Throughout the briefing he'd held his peace, content to simply listen; going home sounded like a great plan to him.

At the back of the room Ghost loomed, leaning against the wall to take some of the weight off his wounded leg. The swelling had gone down on his face, though it was still an ugly looking mess of stitches and damaged tissue. As people began leaving he straightened, a growl building in his chest.

"THUNDER doesn't belong with UMBRA," he said, walking towards Foster, not quite disguising his limp. "I don't belong with UMBRA. I should be reading dossiers and getting a training plan together to rebuild my team, not babysitting nerds."

“You’ve got four months to read dossiers. I’m not putting you on guard duty.” Foster shook his head, “I’m as happy with this as you are, but what am I going to do with a three man Wetwork Team? Train them if you have to, unless you want to go crucify the Director onto his desk.”

Ghost's eyes narrowed behind his Oakleys and he growled. The thought was tempting; it would be more tempting if he could be sure that the 'Director' he knew was actually the Director, but with the nature of the Program the man might just be a smokescreen meant to take exactly that kind of attention off the real boss. He grunted and then turned, eyeing the rest of the room.

"If I'm stuck with all of you, then that's how it is," he said after a moment. His tone was hard but resigned. He was a pro, he could accept his fate, even if he hated it. "But listen up. I know Lucky and Tex can handle themselves."

He pointed at Bajbala. "You're still an unknown, but they trust your skills enough for field work. I'll make my own evaluation. As for you other two…"

Ghost turned his gaze on Ava, then to Laine.

"I'm not going out with people who can't hang. You've got four months to start on the basics. When I'm cleared for training, I plan to spin you up more. That won't be negotiable. In the meantime do what you've got to do to make sure you're at least physically fit enough to survive."

With that he left the room, brushing past Foster on his way out.

Ava took off her glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose as the briefing dissolved. Not that it surprised her given everything that happened. She sighed and put her glasses back on, looking up at Dave and smiling slightly at him. She patted Prince’s head and stood up from the couch. “I’m gonna make some tea.” Her eyes landed on the new unfortunate addition to their dysfunctional little group.

She couldn’t blame Agent Bajbala for being frustrated. She was a professional and they were all barking at each other like junkyard dogs. She felt bad for the woman, though a part of her, a new little voice nagging at the back of her mind, was wary about trusting her.

“Um, Agent Bajbala,” She said, saying the name carefully to make sure she said it correctly. “Would you like some tea?”

Bajbala canted in Ava's direction and her eyes scried her thoughts. "Um-" she heaved a light chuckle then in a silvery voice she replied, "you know, I would love some tea."

She slid off the stool and shot Foster an awkward half-smile excusing herself and marching off to the kitchen with Ava.

"Yeah, just call me Baj."

“I can do that.” Ava smiled trying to hide her nerves as the two of them stepped away from the others, alone in the kitchen. She mentally kicked herself, the others were 10 feet away, there was nothing to worry about.

Prince trotted in after them, tail wagging and brown eyes bright as he went up to Baj for more pets. Ava smiled more easily as she filled a kettle with water and set it onto the stove to boil.

“I’m sorry about...everything.” She said with a sigh, rinsing the coffee out of the ‘throat punch’ mug. “We’re not normally this much of a mess, but...A lot has happened.” She said, frowning down at the mug as she dried it off. “But I don’t blame you for thinking we’re a bunch of assholes, we’ve hardly made a good impression.”

"I appreciate that Ava," Baj said, giving a warm smile.

The red-head was very pretty, even Baj couldn't deny the girlish charm that radiated from Ava and seemed to make the day a little less stressful. "I get it, there is a lot I don't know and every team has their day." She leaned onto the counter near Ava. Prince made small passes rubbing on her leg, where eventually she anchored him with heavy petting. "Everyone is an asshole in this work somehow or another."

"But, wow, these past few days. The mission from the start was off. I could have handled it myself without the mess I think." Bajabala's voice toned down to express the disappointment. She reached up into a cabinet and grabbed a mug, grey with no personality on its face.

"If I could get any of those targets ten feet from others, I could have put them down no fussing! Just nobody would know what hit them." She chuckled with a disarming smile.

Ava smiled awkwardly. “Ah ha, yeah, I bet.” She opened up the cupboard and started pulling out the small selection of tea she picked up at Target. “Here, pick your poison.” She said, selecting a honey lavender blend for herself.

There was a beat of awkward silence while the water boiled before Ava spoke again, “You worked with Dave, um, Lucky, while we were...gone, right?”

Bajbala pinched a green tea bag free from its little box.

"Lucky, yeah." She said, remembering the rage, the blood in his clothes. How he took off the Russian's head like he didn't have a second thought. Ava and him have been close the past few days, and she noticed. "Seems like a nice guy, troubled at times. Why?" She asked casually.

“Just, worried about him,” She said, glancing over to the living room to make sure Dave wasn’t about to walk in. “I want to make sure he’s okay. He’s...not his usual self in some ways.” The kettle started to whistle and she shut off the stove, pouring the hot water into her mug and then passing the kettle to Baj.

"I couldn’t tell you.” Bajbala said. A stream of steam swirled up when she poured from the kettle. “There was much pain in his eyes, the few times we spoke. He... I haven't seen hatred like that in someone since a long time ago.” She stirred the tea, hastening the darkening of the water. She offered up the most delicate expression she could, facing the twisted reality of Dave’s response to the betrayal.

“Whatever you’ve heard… Or have you heard anything? About the other day.” She blew carefully over the surface of the tea.

Ava glanced back out of the kitchen, her concern plain. “No, I haven’t heard anything. It’s been a little chaotic, coming back from the...Well.” She chuckled awkwardly, keeping herself from actually uttering the words, ‘back from the dead’. Part of her still couldn’t believe it, nor wanted to acknowledge it.

She dunked the tea bag slightly and cleared her throat, “What happened? The other day?”

Bajbala continued to blow on the tea, pushing down the anxiety of having to discuss this with Ava. It wasn’t her place, but Ava would hear it eventually and she may as well be prepared.

“Um, he took things a little far. Fortunately, we were all okay but I know what he did he’s not proud of. I think maybe it’s something you should talk to him about, he seems to need you. If there was anything I got from our chat it’s that he needs you.” She took a small sip and twitched at the slight burn to her lips.

“You are the girl right… I’m sorry, like he would have talked about you?” She chuckled uncomfortably while nursing her lip. She garnered the impression that Dave’s woes at the first safehouse were about a love interest.

Ava furrowed her brow in concern, wondering what she meant by ‘taking things a little far’. She reached up to absently touch her pendant, but her fingers touched nothing. “Uh, yeah, he probably meant me.” She said, letting her hand fall back to her mug. “We’re kind of...together.” She flushed and lifted up her tea to take a sip, uncaring of the hot temperature of the beverage.

“Great, I thought... I was mistaken! As long as you’re living he’ll be fine.” Bajbala reassured haltingly. Dave had a taste for something that lingers. Ava was alive but his new instinct and craving would be hard to rinse clean. Driven to protect recklessly; the drive stronger with each threat to what is loved.

“This could use some honey.” Baj looked into the swirling bitter tea.

Ava swallowed her tea hard at that, a sweat prickling along the back of her neck. “Uh, right.” She said, looking down into the amber colored tea. “We don’t have any honey. Sorry.”

She took another sip, the mellow sweetness of her own tea turned bitter in her mouth.

>...///

Laine shot a look at Ghost, her sharp green eyes sparking with heat that wanted an outlet. She glared at his broad back, the arrogance even discernible by the set of his broad shoulders, but he left before she could snipe at him about not wanting to be on a team with hitmen. In the back of her mind, she knew he was right about taking care of themselves. They had died once and come back, there would not be a second chance again.

Her attention shifted to Foster and the distrust that had developed over the months since West Virginia coiled hot within her. Once again, they were shoved away from the case after taking the bullets and the danger, just when they were getting somewhere and then betrayed. The leak was obvious, someone was giving their locations and information to the Russians, someone was using them as canaries in the mines.

SIREN and ARTEMIS might have died out there for the same reason, the memory of something Ipitok had told her, something she had never had a chance to follow up on. The man who had been found turned into beef jerky, he had turned on his own team before fleeing. Cursing inwardly, Laine turned her back on Foster, keeping her reports that he had not even bothered to give a shit about in the farce of a briefing.

Laine was at least glad Donnelley had finally come around to her suspicions and their evidence that Foster was not being honest with them and they had all agreed to withhold the information on the tracker given to them by Renko. It was their ace up the sleeve right now and she planned to try and keep it that way. She felt a heaviness in her chest, the same elation of the emotional exchange with Donnelley earlier reversed course and the crush of this sent her back down to where she had been as she sat with her death clothes and wept.

She left the room as Ava was inviting Baj for tea, ducking the invitation that was sure to follow. If Foster wanted to release them on leave, she was starting now, even if she had to walk to the Ted Stevens Airport.

Laine went to the women’s bedroom and closed the door behind her, jamming a chair under the door knob. She sat on the bunk, opening her laptop to bring up her notes. She slipped the USB into it that had the raw video of the drones and uploaded it. She went to work taking photos of the documents from Yutu’s room and the strange old parchment, getting as close to the details as she could and saved them to her laptop. Laine then gathered all the original documents and evidence and put them together to hand over to Foster.
“Unmask the others. Do that with them.” Foster said, pointing to the three of them sitting on the ground.

The second hooded figure, smaller than the other four, was hauled to their feet and sat down across from Sobel. The hood was removed, frightful eyes slightly clouded over with the haze of some kind of substance looking forward to Sobel.

“Let’s see if you’re in there.” Sobel regarded her with none of the friendliness he had the night they had met, reaching over and grabbing her hands in his when she refused to bring them to him...///

>...///

An almost scenic little village nestled among the slopes and valleys of a mountain range of natural browns and tans stretched before her. Trees sparsely decorated the hills and mountainside, either in pairs or stoically alone, some were clustered into little groups of three or more; like patchy fur on a mangy animal. She could hear the faint whistle of wind through the canyons.

The landscape nagged at her, the terrain familiar though she couldn’t place where for a few moments. Then it clicked, she was looking somewhere in the Middle East. Pakistan or maybe Afghanistan, she didn’t know.

One mountain in particular drew her attention. It was a behemoth, looming over the village like a tyrant upon a throne. The wind began to grow stronger, rising louder and louder into her ears until she realized..It wasn’t the wind at all.

Whispers. A cacophony of whispers, of what must have been hundreds of voices began to swell until she could make out the words they were repeating over and over again with increasing volume until it was a buzz in her ears.

“Death wakes the Sleeper.”


>...///

Ava jerked her head as she felt it start to fall forward. She saw herself in a grimy mirror covered in graffiti at the edges before the room started to spin. She stumbled back from the sink she was washing her hands in and pitched backwards as her legs became tangled around her ankles. A cold tile floor hit her back, knocking the air from her lungs.

As hard as the floor was, it was cool and it gave her a chance to wait for the room to stop spinning. She blinked her eyes, taking in deep breaths as the disorientation faded and her mind began to clear. Or somewhat clear, she felt a headache coming on that felt like she had spent the last five minutes staying up too late, drinking too much coffee and getting too little sleep.

She sniffed the air as the dizziness started to settle and she began to push herself up, frowning as the familiar scent of ozone and electrical discharge permeated the air. She looked around herself, finding she was in a bathroom that was familiar with the concept of cleanliness but didn’t seem to grasp the full concept.

The tile was dirty, the colors on the small industrial squares of white and blue having faded or gone yellow. The walls might have once been white but were now a mixture of piss yellow and muddy brown. Where the paint wasn’t peeling or chipping, it was covered in graffiti. The toilet wasn’t in much better shape nore was the state of the sink but it was clearly functional. She looked up, noting an awning type window that was cracked open, letting in a very cool breeze that was likely the cause for the icy floors.

As she sat there, taking in her surroundings and composing herself she sat up straight with a thrill of alarm.

“Where am I?” She whispered to herself, her heart starting to beat faster as she searched through her memories. She remembered Yutu’s house, meeting Ipiktok, the SIREN Agent, the vision and then…

She winced as her head throbbed when she tried to think further back. She grabbed her head and finally looked down at herself.

Her eyes widened and her confusion only grew seeing she was wearing clothing that very much did not belong to her. She slowly pushed herself up to her feet, reaching up and grasping onto the sink for balance as she looked down at herself.

She was wearing clothing that must have belonged to a man twice her size. The faded and sweaty smelling black long sleeve shirt fell down to her thighs like a dress, the boxers and jeans bunched around her ankles in a puddle of denim and cotton. Beyond that she found she was in shoes that must have been for an 18 inch foot and a quick wiggle of her toes revealed that she was also wearing socks that were far too big.

What was going on?! Why was she in someone else's clothes and why was she in the middle of this bathroom?!

Her panic started to rise and her head started to spin again, but she took in a deep breath and tried to focus her mind. I can’t panic. I can’t panic. Have to think with a clear head. Need to investigate and find the others, maybe they know what happened.

She continued to breathe, like she had been taught to to manage her panic attacks.

She was startled when she heard the doorknob jiggle followed by a firm knocking on the door. Without thinking she squeaked out, “Occupied!”

There was a pause, she thought she heard a man’s voice grumble something and then the sound of heavy boots and rattling chains walking away.

Ava stood still, waiting a few breathless moments before she let out the breath she had been holding and struggled her way out of the jeans, boxers and shoes her legs were encased in. She pulled up the socks as much as she could and approached the door, pressing her ear to it.

She heard the muffled sounds of heavy metal music and what sounded like a crowded restaurant. She unlocked the door and carefully cracked it open, peeking outside. She squinted her eyes as she realized that her vision wasn’t just blurry because of her headache, she didn’t have her contacts anymore.

From what she could make out, it looked like a crowded bar, a dive bar judging by the low light interior and the abundance of exposed wood. She watched the crowd for a moment before shutting the door again and firmly locking it, turning and pressing her back to the door.

“Okay, I...need to get out of here.” She whispered to herself, pushing away from the door and looking around the bathroom again, as though she had just missed the large man that had to have been the original owner of the clothes during her first look around.

A quick sweep of the bathroom revealed that there was no sign of her own clothing, not the outfit she had last been wearing nor anything she could recognize as belonging to her.

She also discovered that there was a vest that was part of her ensemble and after stripping it off, her nerves only grew. The vest was clearly a biker vest, but she didn’t didn’t recognize the symbol of the club it belonged to. What she did recognize was the word ‘Prospect’ sewn onto a patch on the front of the vest and then sewn larger onto the back.

She tossed it onto the sink, and started going through the pile of jeans, boxers and boots. She managed to find a phone that was completely fried and unusable, so she tossed it onto the sink with the vest. In the pockets of the jeans she found a pack of half full, crumbled cigarettes, a few what looked like joints tucked into a little baggy and a wallet.

Opening the wallet she found an Alaskan driver’s license of the man who must have originally owned the clothes, one Walter Arbeit, and frowned as she realized the wallet had cash and credit cards. She bit her lip before taking out the cash, which amounted to about sixty four bucks. She tossed the wallet with the credit cards on the sink with the vest and the phone.

Through her shifting she also found a .38 revolver, tucked into a concealed appendix holster on the pants and belt. She carefully removed it and set it to the side with the money, the cigarettes and the joints before resuming her search.

Tossing aside the jeans when they didn’t offer anything else she turned to the boots. She found a switch blade with an impressively sharp blade tucked into the right boot and then in the left she found a fifty tucked into a fold inside the boot. Likely emergency funds.

She added it to the pile of cash and squated there, her mind sluggishly trying to piece together what could have happened. It felt like there was a veil of drunken haziness hanging over her memories though and she was left with a current feeling of cotton head.

She knew one thing, she couldn’t stay there and she couldn’t walk out of the bathroom wearing the clothes of a strange man. Particularly one she didn’t know the whereabouts of or why she was in them.

Taking in a deep breath and making a plan, she picked up the switchblade and flicked it open.

She trimmed off the bottom of the jeans so they would cover her legs and then she poked an extra hole into the leather belt so she could cinch the jeans around her waist. After a brief debate, she decided to forgo the boxers and tried not to think about the fact she was now going commando in a man’s jeans.

She tightly laced up the boots, trying to keep them as tight to her shins as possible. She put the switchblade in the front pocket, but tucked the money into her socks to make sure she didn’t lose it. She took the cigarettes, put the baggy of joints in the pack and then tucked that into the back pocket. She didn’t know why, but she hoped it might come in handy.

That left the revolver and she stared at it for what felt like minutes, her mind nagging her that it wasn’t her gun. But another part of her pointed out that she was alone, in an unknown place and she had no idea where her friends were or how she got there.

Taking in a deep breath, she took the revolver in it’s holster and tucked it into place, against her stomach and well hidden under the baggy shirt.

She folded up the vest and the boxers and placed them on the back of the toilet tank along with the phone and wallet.

Then she dragged over the metal trash can, quietly apologized to the bar staff and tipped it over, spilling out the contents, but she could now stand on the bottom and reach the window. She climbed up on the trash can and first looked out of the window, squinting her eyes to try and make out the blurry surroundings.

It looked like an alleyway, judging by the brick building across the way. She craned her head out further and didn’t see any movement or hear any voices. A glance down revealed a fairly high drop, maybe six or seven feet, but she should be fine if she took her time-

A loud banging on the door behind her made Ava jump and swivel her head toward the door. “What the fuck are you doing in there!?” Bellowed a deep male voice. “You got 30 seconds to get the fuck out or we’re coming in Prospect!”

Ava squeaked and with no time to waste she pulled herself up and crawled out the window, hearing the trash can tip over beneath her but not caring. The window was just big enough for her to squirm and wiggle her way through, kicking her heavy boot clad feet before she finally slipped out.

She threw her hands out instinctively as she fell, landing on them and muffling a cry as her hands slammed into the pavement and she felt her left wrist roll in a bad way. She crashed down next onto her left shoulder, but did her best to roll with it, stumbling her way up to her feet and making a quick retreat further down the alley and away from the front of the business where people would see her.

Ava cradled her left arm close to her chest, looking around with her impaired vision for any threat, any exit from the back alleys. She shivered as the cold started to set in, despite the sun being high in the sky.

Where was she and where the fuck was the rest of her team?...///

>...///

Sobel withdrew his hands and shook them out like he’d touched a stove, the feeling of heat dissipating from his and Ava’s hands. Sobel’s eyes were bloodshot now, a trickle of blood coming from his nose. Using this much hypergeometry was taxing on the body, and worse yet, if they weren’t quick about this they’d earn the attention of something worse. Sobel had to bear it, “It’s her,” Sobel wiped his mouth off on his sleeve, “It’s Ava.”

“Come on,” Donnelley placed a hand on Ava’s shoulder, knowing she’d be woozy as he was when he came out of Sobel’s magic bullshit, “Let’s get you up, come on.”

Ava sniffed, shaking her head of the strange magic as she followed Donnelley’s lead and stood up from the chair. “Thanks, Sobel.” She murmured, leaning against Donnelley for support.

“Next,” Sobel growled, “Hurry up!”

Queen was next, rising from the barn floor to move to sit across from Sobel. He looked at the man then grinned a little, putting out his hands like he was visiting a fortune teller. The joke that he would have told died on his tongue when he looked into the bloodshot flat eyes and bleeding nose. Sobel looked like he was on the wrong end of a coke binge. Queen relaxed as much as he could and waited for the wizard to do his trick.

“Hope you’re ready.” Sobel grabbed Queen’s hands, not waiting for an answer...///

>...///

“...I swear it was only once, we got drunk and her husband is out on a fishing boat. We...had sex in her marital bed, I feel kinda bad. Now she’s calling me, what should I do?”

Queen blinked and rubbed the bridge of his nose, it was dark wherever here was and confined. He focused on the screen where light shifted through and he could make out a vague silhouette of a man. He reached up and pushed the little door farther to get more light.

Queen’s head pounded and the stink of scorched wire was eerily familiar and beyond that it smelled like a head shop. He looked down at his hands in the dim light, he seemed in one piece just with no idea what the hell just happened. Must have been a fucking bender.

“Father? What should I do, I like her and don’t want to hurt her feelings but I know it’s wrong to continue?”

“Huh...oh, was it any good?”

“Good? I mean, sure I guess.”

“Did she let you do butt stuff? Suck your dick?”

“Butt...what the…”

Queen shifted, wondering at the whole absurd conversation. He reached up to tug at the tight collar and felt the stiff material. “What the fuck?”

“I’m sorry that was a test, I’m sure. I swear I won’t do it again.”

It dawned on Queen where he was and he nearly howled with laughter, how he got there had to be a hell of a story with a lot of chemicals. “Listen, dude. Say ten Our Fathers while you’re plowing her next time. Just make sure you know when the ship docks.”

“Father...alright?”

Queen got up and pushed open the confessional door and stood in awe as he looked up at the vaulted ceilings and the crucifix over the altar. There were a few people in the pews, mostly older women but the young man stepped out of the box they had both occupied.

“Hey, you’re not Father Leahy,” he said, staring at the long hair and scruffy beard and the inked skin on display in the short sleeves of the black priest's shirt.

“No, I’m Father Patrick,” Queen said quickly, “I’m Leahy’s replacement.”

“But…” the man’s eyes widened, “Why?”

Queen glanced around then reached up to smooth his collar against his throat, “That’s right, he’s been taken care of, he’ll not be back here.”

The man gave him a skeptical look, “What’s going on? I never heard anything about him in a negative light, he’s been a blessing for Saint Anthony.”

“Eh…” Queen hesitated, he hardly knew what the guy was talking about or what happened to the priest that once occupied the clothes he wore. Holy shit. Queen felt the clutch of panic, what had he done? Memories started to filter through, Noatak and the gunfight, the old shaman. Sweat popped up on his forehead and he cleared his throat, “I wouldn’t worry about it and you should go fuck that fisherman’s wife if you want. It ain't adultery if you're not the married one."

He pushed past him and the older women stared at him as Queen sprinted past the holy water fountain and ran out onto the street. He looked around, saw no one from the teams and all his gear was gone. Checking the pockets of the priest's pants he found a leather wallet with the man’s Alaska ID, a red nosed blue eyed slim man in his late middle age. There was about ten bucks in small bills and a few saints cards. Around his neck was a black beaded rosary with a silver crucifix but little else.

Queen started walking, looking at street signs and stores to orient himself until he found a bus stop and looked at the map on the wall of the shelter. Anchorage. “What the fuck,” he said, stress starting to knot his shoulders and he instinctively reached into his pocket. Then remembered it was not his pocket. His drugs. His fucking stash was gone.

“FUCK!” he shouted, realizing what the next few days would be like unless he could score. A passer by looked at him shocked, the F bomb dropping from a priest.

He stopped another person that was looking to catch the bus and forced a sing-song southern Irish accent, “Good morning, lad. I was wondering where the worst of yer unfortunate may live, where the poor and desperate might be needing to hear the good word of the Lord.”

The native looking man shrugged, narrowing his gaze at Queen, “Around here, you should know that if you’re at St. Anthony’s though downtown is probably the worst. Got the methadone clinics. But you’d be barking up the wrong tree, Father. God ain’t a power up here.”

Queen looked into the man’s dark eyes and saw Yutu’s ghost, the desperate helpless anger simmering there. “Bless you, my son,” he said after a moment.

The man only grunted and turned to watch for the bus heading south.that would take him away from the airport and crumbling nearby neighborhood and towards the more gentrified south where he worked at a new sushi restaurant.

Queen looked at him a little longer, the man was not very tall but had a decent build and Queen suspected if he was from the hood he at least carried a knife with him. But he had no car, so it was pointless in robbing him for whatever change he might have and risk injury or attention.

"Do you happen to have a phone I could borrow, lad?" He asked but the man was irritated now and shook his head.

"Maybe you should go back to the church, priest," he looked at the tattooed arms and the unkempt hair then muttered, "Fucking junkies."

Queen felt a little offended by that, how could he tell he was looking for a score and not preaching the Good Word. He knew payphones still existed and were usually at the scabbiest convenience store in the worst neighborhoods. He needed to contact Donnelley or even Poker, someone has to know what the fuck happened. Queen started walking, heading in the downtown direction so as not to waste money on a bus...///

>...///

Sobel ripped his hands away from Queen’s and pounded the table with his fists, growling. The bleeding was now coming from both nostrils, Sobel turning his head and spitting a gob of blood from his lips. He held his head in his hands, but did not yet call for the next and last of them, “Give me a moment.”

“Is it him?” Foster asked.

“Yes, it’s him! Everyone shut up.” The stink of ozone and electrical burn was thick in the barn now, and Sobel looked worse for wear as he panted in his seat.

“Well, shit.” Donnelley muttered, his hand still supporting a swaying Ava and watching for Queen’s reaction now he was out of the stupor. “You back yet, fucker?”

“Right as rain,” Queen muttered, then rubbed his eyes the heavy feeling of wanting to slip into unconsciousness still with him. He rolled his head and felt the popping of vertebrae in his neck, then glanced at Sobel, “Better than him anyway.”

Laine waited for her hood to be removed, her green eyes flashing at the masked CORAL NOMAD operator they called Face, of which she saw only a nose and blue eyes behind goggles. These head games they liked to play, she thought. When she rose she saw the others, her heart jumping as she met Donnelley’s eyes even if just briefly.

In the seat, the man she remembered from Idaho looked like he had been hit by a car. The comparison made her suddenly ill and she shook her head as she sat across from him.

“Whatever you’re doing, you don’t need to do this,” Laine said. “We’ve been honest about who we are, they passed your little tests?”

She glanced at Foster and back at Sobel, her hands laid flat but relaxed. Sobel looked back at her and sniffed up blood, “I have a job to do.” He laid his hands over Laine’s and bit back a grimace...///

>...///

Water was dripping somewhere, a steady tap tap tap in the sink and it finally drove into Laine’s consciousness as she found herself laying in a bed that smelled musty. Sweat, cigarettes, and perfume and none of it familiar. Another motel maybe, she opened her eyes, turning her head expecting to see another full sized bed but there was an open closet with bare wire hangers and a dozen sweaters and dresses hanging and more pants and stockings tossed on the floor with a clutter of shoes.

Laine pushed herself up, the alarm clock blinking red 12:03PM and the smell of burning stung her nostrils. She rolled out of the bed that sat on the floor without a frame and fell to her knees, searching the wall outlet as the stink of electrical ozone faded. A chill ran down her spine and she realized she was not dressed except for a pair of panties.

She touched her face and arms, her bare chest and then looked down at the cheap bright colored rhinestone studded thong. “What the fuck,” she whispered, her eyes hunting the room for any movement. “Donnelley?”

Laine pulled off the strange underwear and began looking for her own clothes but there was nothing but someone else’s apartment, someone else’s life. On top of the dresser there was a red knock off Gucci purse and she dug through it. A wallet, condoms, keys, make up, a folding knife and a small pair of brass knuckles.

She opened the wallet and thumbed through it, there was over two hundred dollars and an expired ID for a woman in her mid thirties. Long dark hair and high cheekbones with hollow black eyes like chips of obsidian. “Alasie Creech,” she said, softly, tapping the ID against her palm.

Laine opened the top drawer, full of underwear and bras, all of them the same cheap satin and lace but there were the cotton ones for comfort. She brushed through the clothing and found a small book, a ledger with phone numbers and dollar amount estimates and a flip phone that was dead.

She stared at it a moment and felt a chill again and not just from standing naked but doing so in a stranger’s home without any idea how she got there. A flash of memory, the tundra, UMBRA and Yutu. Sarah Jung’s screaming and the creeping fog.

Laine dropped the cheap cell phone and looked around in horror, something had happened. “Sorry, Alasie, I need to borrow a few things,” she muttered and grabbed clean panties but left the bras alone, they would never fit. She found jeans and skirts too small and left them in favor of a pair of bright teal sweatpants she managed to pull up over her hips and ass. Alasie’s fat pants she realized and went back to find a top. She found a gray shirt with Betty Boop’s big head hovering over #Sassy. It was awful but it was the largest size she found in the drawers and drew it on over her head.

Alasie was listed at 5’2” so the sweats scrunched around Laine’s calves and stretched tight on her hips. The shoes were too small so she found a cheap pair of flip flops. Thank god it was summer in Alaska and not freezing. She took the purse, she would find the woman and give everything back, she told herself. Laine could not look in the mirror, the truth of the situation’s weirdness hovering somewhere, as faint as the traces of ozone now were but there.

A heavy knock startled her and she reached into the purse for the brass knuckles and slipped them on, hoping not to have to use it. The pounding continued and she heard a male voice calling, “Alasie! It’s Thumper, open up. Bitch, you never returned my call. I know you’re in there.”

Laine moved towards the door to peer out the fisheye and saw a large squat muscular man with an impressive gut and a hell of an overbite. He knocked heavy and persistent, “Goddamnit, your fucking car is out here. Don’t pretend you’re not here, open the fuck up. I need my money!”

What the hell?

Laine moved from the door and looked for another exit but it was a small cheap place without a second door. She slung the missing woman’s purse over her chest and squared her shoulders, Laine would have to be fast.

While he knocked again, she unlocked the door and swung it open as the stunned Thumper lurched forward as Laine threw a punch with the knuckles square into his mouth, just missing his nose. There was a crack of teeth and a howl, the big man covering his bleeding mouth and staring at her, “Who the fuck are you?”

He spat and began to recover, reaching for her as Laine dashed past him as fast as she could in the flip flops. She held the keys in her hand and could hear him catching up. Laine pressed the fob a few more times and an old Buick LeSabre, the mealy metallic tan color that had been rusted by the road salt beeped.

Rushing for the driver’s side door, Laine jumped into the car, slamming the door just as Thumper caught up and grabbed at the handle, “Who the fuck are you bitch? Robbing my girl? Get the fuck out!”

Laine started the car, only giving him a moment’s look to make sure he wasn’t going to break her window. Slamming it into reverse, she peeled out and gave Thumper the finger as he tried running after her but was quickly winded. Having no idea where she was or where she was going, she sped out of the parking lot of the Cedar Shade apartments and onto the road that went east.

She drove for a while, passing more apartment complexes and parks,until she felt the chugging and sputtering. “What the hell now?” she checked the dash and cursed herself. She was on E, apparently Alasie owed money and didn’t fill her tank and wore cheap trashy panties.

“Girl, what are you doing with your life?” Laine asked out loud, not sure she was talking to the missing woman. Laine was pretty sure what Alasie had been doing, the life of a small town sex worker was not glamorous.

The car coasted now, the engine dead and she put it in neutral as she put it onto the shoulder of the road once the incline ended and began to rise.

Putting it in park, she looked into the rear view nervously, wondering if Thumper was going to be on her ass but she did not see him. Maybe he had walked to visit his girl. What a piece of shit, she scowled at her hand, despite the brass knuckles it felt tender after hitting him in his hard face.

Laine got out of the car and moved to open the back door and look around the back. She reached under the seat and felt something cold and hard, covered in plastic. Pulling it out, she expected a gun, especially after living with the likes of UMBRA and THUNDER. Instead it was a large, heavy duty ziploc bag with a 10 inch dildo and a few smaller toys. Laine stared at it for a beat and slowly pushed it back under the seat.

There was nothing much else in the back seat other than some magazines and receipts and a few old blankets folded on the far side. She found she did not want anything out of that car and locked it up, walking east in her hodge podge of clothing and the flip flap of her shoes against the pavement kept the time.

Laine needed to find a phone, she was still in Alaska but far from the last place she could remember. The chill crept up her spine again as pieces of memory flickered like flashing a light in a dark room. Digging into the woman’s purse she found a lighter and a pack of Merit Lights with a few cigarettes left. Better than nothing, she took one and lit it, smoking away her anxiety as she walked.

Holding the cigarette between her lips, she continued pawing through the purse, finding the typical debris and small ziploc baggie with pills in it, she thought they might be oxycontin or something similar, typical small town opiates. She left them there, then found another phone and it was also useless, fried by whatever power had surged at that moment Laine awoke.

A horn honked at her and she turned sharply, expecting to see Thumper but it was just a man in a pickup, “Need a ride, honey?”

“I’m good, thanks,” she waved him off.

“You sure? You look like you need a ride, saw your car back there,” he looked her over then grinned, leaning over the passenger seat even as he rolled along.

“No, I don’t,” Laine snapped.

“Whatever, bitch. Good luck,” the man stomped on the gas and left a belching blue diesel truck fart in her face...///

>...///

When Laine awoke, Sobel wasn’t even in his chair. He was a few feet away leaning with his hands against a wall and coughing up blood. He wiped his mouth off while Face and Junior helped steady him, bringing him back to his seat so he wouldn’t have to stand, “It’s her.” Was all he muttered, flashing a snarl at Foster, “They’re telling the truth.”

“Somebody get Spider to look Sobel over.” Foster said, looking around at the NOMAD operators present.

Laine sat in her chair as she watched Sobel struggling and pressed her hands together. They had relived her awakening and she felt still as if on a wavering edge. It felt so real and yet dreamlike, waking up once more. Pushing herself up, she went over to Donnelley and Ava, crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned against the wall. “What now?”

“Is Dave okay?” Ava asked Foster, her posture straightening as the cloudiness of the memory delving seemed to finally fade. “Dave, Avery and the rest of THUNDER; what happened to them?” She asked, a chill of nervousness running through her despite the pleasant haze of the Xanax.

Laine perked up at Ava’s question, the one she was thinking about asking, slipping away with her concern with their teammates. She was certain the people they had replaced were gone, dead. No one would know what happened to them. Alesie Creech would be another missing Native sex worker and life would go on. A cold knot gripped her stomach at that and guilt dug at her.

“That’s not yours to worry about. So don’t. We’ve got to place you accordingly, none of you can risk connection to anything that came out of Noatak.” Foster said, a bit callus towards Ava’s worries. “Sobel can take you back to Idaho, from there-“

“No.” Donnelley shook his head, “No, I’ve been through this shit. You’re gonna stick us back in Langley and the CI Agents are gonna run amok with us. Happened after Chechnya, happened after Tom died.”

“None of us sold anyone out! We got killed by the Russians just like Tom!” Donnelley marched towards Foster and shouldered him out of the way. The CORAL NOMAD operators were confused as to whether to raise their rifles at him or let him pass. In the end, Donnelley opened the barn door to end this stupid fucking game they were playing.

Across the way was a ruined house, and so was Poker, Ghost, and Dave.

Ava watched Donnelley storm out and fixed a hard glare on Foster. “I want to go home.” She said before following Donnelley, hoping in that direction she would find answers about what happened to Dave.

She paused to look back at Foster with hard blue eyes, conveying how tired, angry and done she was with the whole situation. “Also I found official Russian documents on the GRU agents from Ipiktok’s compound, probably their marching orders to murder us! It’s on my laptop,” She threw her hands up and kept walking. “Knock yourself out!”

Queen searched his pockets until he found the half crushed box of Kools and took one out. He watched the tall woman from CORAL NOMAD tending to Sobel before he glanced at Foster. As Ava left, Queen put the cigarette between his lips.

"Y'know it's bad when she yells," he commented, hunting for the lighter but they had taken it away. Queen looked directly at his case officer, he had trusted him through hard times but this was another level.

"Ghost out there?"

Foster watched the two of them leave despite his orders, basically giving him a huge middle finger. When Queen asked his question, Foster sighed, sarcastically gesturing towards the yawning door, “Why don’t you just see for your fucking self.” He turned away and went to be by Sobel’s side, making sure he didn’t burst a blood vessel in his brain, “Go ahead.”

Queen gave him a long look, then shrugged, “Would be a shame to make it this far and torture your...friend there to just have him shoot us all in the face thinking we’re something else.”

Laine was watching Sobel then turned to Foster, the thoughts and distrust that had compiled since after West Virginia flooded into her mind and her face flushed hot. They had been treated like criminals, bound and gagged and frightened. Made to do near useless polygraphs which had only spiked anxiety and mistrust, then having their memories read. She took a deep breath, the desire to rip into him only dissuaded by Ava. It was enough and said it all, they were tired.

She walked past Foster then glanced over her shoulder at him, “I want to talk later.”

Leaving it at that, whether he would indulge her or not, she followed the other two out the barn doors. Queen watched her then looked again at Foster, “Can’t blame us can you, we died.”

He followed after them, at least someone might have a lighter and maybe he could keep Ghost from blasting away at the undead.

Ghost and Dave loitered outside, near the barn where Spider had been inspecting Poker's wound. The big man looked bored; now that he was no longer the center of attention he had lost interest in the proceedings and was instead alternating between keeping an eye out and mean-mugging Tripod.

Dave simply looked tired. His grip on his rifle was casual enough, but the fatigue and bone-deep weariness were evident in the cast of his face and the subtle slump of his posture. He saw activity at the barn, noted people emerging, and then his heart stopped.

"Donnelley?" He looked again. "Ava!"

Ghost looked over in time to see Dave break into a run. His blood went cold and he had time to choke out a furious 'Lucky stop!' before he was moving as well, his rifle raised and sight locked on the ghost of his teammate.

Queen’s eyes riveted to Ghost, a chill running up his spine. They would not have a second chance this time. “Ghost! Ghost, fuck off, it’s us!”

He pulled the unlit cigarette from his lips and jogged forward to fall in with Donnelley. “It’s cool, man.”

Donnelley had his hands up, slowly reached into his vest pocket and bit out a cigarette dangling from his teeth, “Look’it you, boy, startin’ to look like me. Shoo’.” Tex smiled into Ghost’s barrel, that old wolf’s grin hungry for violence or mischief, “Down, boy.”

Ava looked up at the sound of her name in a familiar voice and her eyes lit up with joy and relief to see Dave, alive and unharmed. “Dave!” She shouted with a smile. “I know this is-eek!” She was cut off mid sentence by Dave running at her full force and pulling her into the biggest bear hug of her life, a squeak escaping her as his strong arms crushed her to his chest.

She looked up at him and let out a happy sigh, whispering for only him to hear, “Hey Mountain Man, I missed you.”

Dave held her tight for a moment. His eyes were wet, and he reached up to cup her cheek, looking at her face, her eyes, as though seeking anything unfamiliar.

"Oh, sugar," he whispered as he pulled her close for another hug. "I don't know how, but thank you, God. I missed you."

Ghost ignored Dave's happy reunion. If he got killed that was his problem now. Instead he focused on Tex and Queen, a silent pillar with a loaded gun. When he spoke it was to Tex, in rapid Pashto.

"Our first mission. Where did we go. Who were we there for." He paused. "Who did I watch you kill?"

Tamik abd Al-Malik. Libya, Muammar Gaddafi’s Fist of Allah Commander.” Tex frowned, speaking back in Pashto, “And I had to kill… I had to liquidate those... children.

Even then, he felt like the others would look at him with disgust, he knew he did that enough for himself for months after. Even if it was in Pashto, and none of them could speak it, he felt the weight of those sins lay their hands on his shoulders. He stepped forward, pressing his forehead against Ghost’s barrel, “Do I pass?”

Ghost stared at him for a moment, then switched aim to Queen.

"What's the first thing I said to you when you joined THUNDER?"

Queen stood beside Donnelley, unaware of what he said but not unaware of what had occurred in Libya. He twirled the cigarette between his fingers, the memory of his first encounter with Ghost as vivid as anything. The screaming man and the powertool.

“You said,” he lowered his voice and gave it a growling quality, “‘If you ever fuck me over, I’ll cut your head off and mail it to your mother.’”

Queen smiled slightly, speaking in his normal Florida drawal, “Ankle-grinder.”

Ghost eyed him. The 'ankle-grinder' was what clenched it. He'd been taking an angle grinder to the ball of a suspect's ankle, and had made the pun during a meth high. Not a proud moment. Ghost lowered his weapon.

"Welcome back," he growled.

“Thanks,” Queen said, a relief coursing through him he put the cigarette back between his lips, “Anyone got a light?”

Ava reluctantly and gently pulled back from Dave, a glint catching her eye and she blinked seeing a familiar necklace around Dave’s neck. She smiled and patted his shoulder as she stepped back. “Look who else I found.” She joked lamely, motioning with her arms towards Queen, Laine and Donnelley.

Donnelley gave Face a thumbs up and tossed his lighter back. When he heard Ava comment about the rest of them back from the dead he looked at Dave. He tapped the RealTree bill of his goddamn redneck hat and nodded, smiling, “Howdy.”

Dave released Ava and wiped his eyes, then spread his arms. He was grinning now even as his eyes shined.

"Hey man," he said as he threw his arms around Donnelley. He gave him a hard squeeze, and a few pounds on the back for good measure before he stepped away from him, holding him at arm's length. "God damn. God damn." He slapped Donnelley on the shoulder. "I like your hat."

“Yeah, I know you do,” Donnelley laughed as he looked Dave up and down. “Feels like it’s been forever. I don’t even know how…”

Donnelley’s voice trailed off, and his smile slipped, the aftershock of realizing his own mortality. No matter how many times he’d cheated death, this was the least in control of it all he’d ever been. He guessed he should thank Ipiktok. This is how he dreamed it’d go, he guessed. He regained his smile in step and chuckled again, “So… you been workin’ hard I see.” He nodded at the bombed out car in the bombed out living room of the Safehouse.

"Gettin' 'em back," Dave said. There was a new edge to his voice, a violence in his eyes he hadn't had before. "They're back too. We'll talk about it soon, I'll hafta give y'all a...debrief, or whatever, now that UMBRA is back."

Bajbala pushed through the kitchen swing door with her sweater sleeves rolled up and her hair tied back. She was drying her hands with a dishcloth and paused at the sight of the strange pow-wow, figuring them the 'detainees' NOMAD walked in. Their friendliness was perturbing, then her attention snapped to 'JD CIA' who was poking a grin around his crowd.

Laine stood back, watching both the suspicious and the embracing reunions, both just as heartfelt. She waited, feeling a mixture of joy and apprehension, that same shy girl in black always standing on the fringe still lived deep inside her.

Watching Dave swing Ava into a big hug, her stomach clenched and she wanted to cry and cheer for them but she stayed still with a tight smile. Her heart ached as her gaze moved to the back of Donnelley's head and down his shoulders. Laine drew her arms up and crossed them tight, blinking hard to keep the tears from spilling.

Dave came to Laine next. He gave Donnelley a final pat on the shoulder, then turned to the dark-haired woman, pausing briefly to wipe at his eyes again.

"C'mere," he said. He pulled her in, squeezed her tight. There was the tiniest hitch in his voice, forced down but still there, and his hands were shaky despite his efforts to quell it. "It's good to have you back. I missed all of you. Thought I'd lost you."

His hug was a welcome surprise, her arms trapped between them until she dropped them and returned the embrace. Laine slipped her arms under his, grasping at his shirt. She felt him trembling and wondered if he felt her uneven breathing as she held it to force away the sobs.

"It's good to be back," she said, her voice still tight. Laine had needed the hug more than she had expected and held on as long as he would let her. Dave must have gone through hell, she realized. Like Donnelley he had watched them die and unlike Donnelley had not gone with them.

Dave had likely picked up their bodies, mourned them, and tried to push on after watching Ava die. His team fell around him and he was still there. Laine squeezed him tight and patted his back, "I guess we got lucky."

Laine pulled back, a smile ghosting her lips at the little reference to his call sign. She remembered the night they met, his team BLACKBEARD had just been wiped in the West Virginia hills by some monster that got some of UMBRA as well. And almost took down Donnelley.

She finally let go, smiling sadly as she looked up at him, "I'm sorry you had to experience this."

Dave snorted, but kept his voice pitched low.

"You're sorry?" He shook his head. There was a break in his voice and he squeezed his eyes shut tight for a beat. "No, no, I'm sorry. I let you guys down. Dropped the ball bad. But I've been makin' things…" He paused, stopping himself from saying that what he'd done had made things right. There was nothing right about that barn and what he'd done. "I'm not gonna fuck up like that again. Won't fail you guys again."

"Dave," Laine said quietly, putting her hand on his shoulder so she could try and meet his haunted blue eyes. "Dave...no one blames you, this was not your fault. We were betrayed, and we will find out who did it. You have nothing to be sorry for, you kept going and that's all anyone could ask."

Dave sniffed and nodded, cuffed at his eyes with his filthy, blood-stained flannel shirt.

"Alright, that's enough," he said with a shaky laugh. "You're gonna make me cry in front of Ghost, an' I'll never hear the end of it. It's just...damn good to have you guys back."

He looked over at Queen.

"Even you, c'mere," he said. He opened his arms and paused, his bafflement plain. "Boy, what the hell are you wearin'?"

Laine glanced towards Ghost, remembering THUNDER's existence. Queen was there with Donnelley and Ghost, and Poker. Beyond on the porch, a woman she did not recognize stood watching the whole affair. Laine glanced around, the big Polynesian guy, Maui they had called him, was absent. And Avery, he wasn't waiting for them either.

She stepped aside and went over to Ava, putting an arm around her small shoulders and side hugging her. Leaning over she said, "When are you going to introduce Dave to that handsome prince you found?"

Ava’s eyes widened and she started looking around the Safehouse grounds. “Oh shit, I forgot about Prince.”

Queen turned when he saw Dave, then grinned around the smoldering menthol cigarette. "That's Father Patrick to ye, me lad. And I'm here, back from the dead to deal holy wrath unto the souls of the wicked and into the arses of the willing."

His song song brogue fell away as he stepped forward, his Florida Panhandle drawl returning, "Well, it's a long story. Let's just say we didn't get to pick our wardrobe."

He fell into the hug, gripping him tight as his thoughts flashed to places they should not but were quickly replaced with relief for not only himself but for Ava. She had worried over Dave the whole time and it had warmed even his heart to see them reunited. Queen pat Dave's shoulder and pulled back, reaching to take the cigarette out of his mouth. "I hope y'all got some beers cause we got some talking to do."

Dave laughed and shook his head. "Beer nothin', I'm gonna need a bottle of black label for myself after this. We need a liquor run. An' a place to drink that ain't been blown up."

Donnelley stood watching the hugs and smiles, keeping a smile on himself too. Even sided up with Poker and Ghost, the big man’s oppressive aura didn’t seem to damper him too much. Even with the unwelcome memories, but those he pushed back to where he kept the rest of them. He looked at Poker, the other man holding his hand out, and even the slightest smile on his mean face.

“Guess it’s fucking true then.” Poker said as Donnelley took his hand and they shook.

“What?”

“Nothing fucking kills you. I saw you die.” Poker said, his eyes searching Donnelley’s, “Saw Bear die too. Until he was in our kitchen.”

“No shit. I kicked that bitch She-Ra’s ass again.” Donnelley said, shaking his head. He looked past Poker to see a woman hanging about the porch staring at him, “Safehouse handler?”

“CIA. You guys should be friends.” Poker smiled that wolf’s grin of his, making Donnelley wonder if he had any other personality trait other than being a mean fuck or a sarcastic one. Maybe that’s why they hated each other as much as they liked each other. A good amount for both.

“Yeah,” Donnelley said, uncrossing his arms, “We’ll see.”

He put on his best winning smile then and marched towards the house, eyes on the woman on the porch like he was welcoming a new neighbor to the neighborhood. All the while, he was wondering if he’d have to keep an eye on her. When he got to the porch he stood below it, hands on his hips and big friendly fuck-off grin, “What’s your name?” Donnelley asked, “Don’t think we’ve met before.”

Her hazel eyes dropped in contemplation as she charmed up her own smile. Things still didn't make sense, but she's seen what they can do and they had her in body and name. "Nooo, we haven't." She said as she leveled her eyes back to him. It was the first greeting not sprung from haste in a leery encounter like the others.

“Bajbala.” She stretched down an arm over the railing and shook his hand with a gentle squeeze. “Quite the reunion.”

“Ain’t it? I’m Joseph Donnelley. Everyone just calls me Donnelley.” Donnelley lowered the intensity of his smile to a content smirk as they shook hands. Now that he was up close to this mystery woman, he looked her over. Not that he was looking for any romantic prospects other than the one fifty or so meters behind him, but just taking her in for what she was. Attractive, olive-skin, looked like the typical American person-of-color, but it was that slight bit of accent his ears perked up at. “Bajbala…” he tried the word on his tongue, see how it fit his lips.

“Pashtun?” Donnelley asked, “Spent some time in Afghanistan. What, uh, brings you into our pleasant company?”

It was an agreeable sentiment; Bajbala had no idea how far on the spectrum of 'intense' the reunion was. She almost found hilarity in how affable he was compared to the others.

“Donnelly, got it. Yes! Pashto, you speak it?” she asked, marking surprise at the chances of a third member of this team speaking her native language. She found it hard to believe his distinctly American intonation would be able to produce some of the sounds. But she knew. After what Foster told her, she could just pin that accent among the few normal and comforting sounds that met her ears in the Pakistani mountains with the serious Pazir, even garbled in radio static. “Someone decided you weren’t pleasant enough, so... we’ve been arranged.” She jested while joining her fingers together, cautious that Donnelly knew far better than her.

Just a little bit.” Donnelley answered in Pashto, no doubt accented with American, “My Pashto is out of practice, but I can hold my own… I think.

Donnelley smirked, huffed a chuckle through his nostrils and puffed on the still smoldering cigarette in his fingers. At her insinuation of him of all people being unpleasant in the slightest, “Who, me? Unpleasant?” Donnelley shook his head, feigning offense, he knew his reputation well, “I’m a gracious host. Fearless leader. Arranged, huh? Foster pluck you from somewhere and drop you in with us? I hear you’re… from the same places I am.”

Bajbala smiled and muttered a short remark of praise in Pashto to his satisfactory response.

“Pluck is a good word for it. Could have just asked me through email, instead they tell me ‘drive to Alaska, play with Russians’ —I have a new family now!” she said facetiously as if convinced by Foster’s announcement. “Yes, Ground Branch right? I’m with Special Programs,” right next door within SAC/SOG, “ or, I was.” She shook her head, not knowing where to put herself.

“How much did he tell you ‘bout it?” Donnelley asked, quirking a brow.

“Nothing; he told me I’m now with Working Group UMBRA and I’d better show. Professional, but a prick.” She smiled and shrugged. “You going to be tight-lipped on me too?"

“Yeah, you get used to him too.” Donnelley nodded, taking a final drag from his cigarette before putting it out and stashing it in a pocket, “As much fun as it is knowin’ stuff other people don’t, it gets real inconvenient when your team isn’t on the same page as you.”

“So you’re new-new. Huh. Well, I can tell you one thing. The things we deal with make the Taliban look like the lesser of two evils.” Donnelley shook his head and crossed his arms, fussed with the bill of his hat for a second, “You know I wish I knew where to start with it all, but there really ain’t a good place to. I can tell you the Russians are not our friends, like they ever were. I can tell you there’s things out there that should’ve stayed in horror movies and whatever sick imagination they crawled out of.”

He frowned up at Bajbala, “There’s a lot you don’t know. And even if I did tell you all of it, it don’t make it easier when you see it. Spellin’ it out would just make me sound crazy,” Donnelley chuckled, “But at this point all of us kind of are, a little.”

Bajbala gave him a nod, peering back towards Poker, Ghost. "I believe that." She murmured, anticipating the kind of crazy she was going to be after this assignment. One with no timeline or end other than, as far as she could tell, death. The ghouls of a dead team settling right back into their forsaken rhythm before her.

"Russians I can handle but I don't know much about horror films, seems to be no need in this world of ours." She sighed and smiled. "So where do you fall in with all of this?" Unaware that the her and Dave were just a skeleton of UMBRA.

“Suppose I’m at the wheel of this goddamn train wreck,” he chuckled, “I’m your Team Lead by the way. Hopefully I do a better job this time.”

The dark humor tasted bad on his tongue the moment it left. Gallows humor was the only way to cope, but joking about his own death? That was something else entirely that he wasn’t sure if he was ready for, or ever would be, “I take it you’re not a wildman cowboy like THUNDER, else you’d be with them and not me.” He nodded, “We’re nicer anyway.”

Everything was backwards. Dead, then not dead, she just had to roll with it like she usually did. "Not at all like THUNDER. My god, those guys… I play a different game." She chuckled. "Well, then Team Lead, just point me to where I’m dying."

>...///

Ava looked up at Dave as they made the short walk to the barn to untether Prince from the barn, leaving the others to talk and figure out what to do with the Safehouse with a giant hole in the living room. She had questions about that, but for this quiet moment her eyes were on Dave, taking in his appearance since the last time she saw him.

She had seen Dave scruffy and tired, but this was a whole new level. She could see the exhaustion in his face and way he held himself, scrapes and small bruises marred his face and hands. Dust drifted off his body from time to time, thanks to the breeze, though filth was spattered on his shirt along with stains of what was clearly dried blood.

There was also a look to his eyes...one that hadn’t been there before. He looked like he had aged 5 years in the course of 4 days and Ava felt like a knife had struck her heart. Dave must have been in absolute hell since they were betrayed and murdered.

Maybe he still was…

She shook her head and put a smile on her face as Prince started whining and wuffing happily with her and Dave’s approach. The large dalmatian was practically dancing on his paws with his tail going a mile a minute.

“So, this is Prince, though I’ve kinda been calling him Cerberus too.” She explained to Dave, motioning to the dog and yelping in surprise when she got close enough and he jumped up on her, knocking her down onto the ground. “He’s not really trained!” She laughed, covering her face with her hands and arms to protect herself from the onslaught of dog tongue.

Dave followed along, watching Ava the entire time. It felt like years since he'd seen her, and he felt a catch in his throat every time the wind caught her hair or the sun kissed her face. She was beautiful. She was back.

The whining dog caught his attention and he grinned as it tackled her to the ground. He knelt and wrapped his arms around the dog, roughing his fur.

"Hey there, Prince," he laughed as the dog turned its attentions to him.

Ava crawled out from under the dog now that he had turned his attention to Dave. She sat up with a sigh and adjusted the crappy reading glasses back on her face. “Yeah I don’t think he was trained at all, his old owners had him chained up to a doghouse and there were a bunch of divots in the ground where he just dug and dug for something to do.”

"Poor fella," Dave said. He had his chin in the air to avoid Prince's flailing tongue. "You're a good boy, you don't deserve that."

“He does not.” Ava agreed, smiling as she watched Dave interact with the dog. Hopefully that helped with the shock of everything. She pushed herself up and walked over to unhook Prince from the old pipe he had been tethered to. “Soon as we get out of here I’m gonna find out how to get him to Virginia, I should be able to find a good home for him there.” She smiled and scratched his black, floppy ears. “Hmm, he looks a bit like Pongo from the old Disney movie now that I think about it.” She smiled as Prince licked her hand. “We could also call you the Canine Formerly Known as Prince.”

"We could," Dave agreed. He ruffled the dog's ears, happy to simply sit there petting a dog with Ava. Happy not to be fighting. To not be killing. He'd killed five people in three days. Six counting the grenade he had chucked at Yutu. He was just tired.

Ava noticed Dave not getting up and taking his que, she sat down on the ground as well, looking down at her sandaled feet. Her toes were caked with dirt and mud and her feet hurt something fierce so she didn’t mind the sit.

She watched Dave pet Prince, the dog eventually settling down enough to lay still and accept the affection; resting his head on Dave’s leg. Her mind raced with questions and concerns, but she didn’t voice them. Not now. Not yet. Dave needed this moment, this quiet moment to just...breathe.

Ava reached over, placing a hand on Dave’s arm and giving it a warm, comforting squeeze. She smiled at him, her thumb rubbing back and forth before moving her hand away to run over Prince’s back.

He smiled at the touch, reaching over to take her hand. Their backs were to the others, so he gave it a squeeze, enjoying the contact.

"I'm so glad to have you back, sugar," he said softly. "It's been… It's been hard. We'll talk about it, but…" He swallowed hard. "I've just…"

Dave took a shaky breath. "I've just missed you so damn much."

He held her hand for another few minutes, then stood and stretched, using the moment to wipe his eyes.

"C'mon," he said. "We oughta get back."

She looked him in the eyes and gave his hand a hard squeeze before he pulled way. “Yeah.” Ava agreed, taking in a deep breath and standing up with Prince’s lead in hand. “I’ve missed you too.” She smiled and ruffled Prince’s ears again as the dog looked between them, a large doggy smile on his face in anticipation of going for a walk. “Come on, let’s see if we can rustle up some food for this good boy.”

>...///

Queen watched Dave and Ava go fetch Prince, a slight smile on his face as he recalled the wild flight with the dog in tow. He reached up and tugged at the stiff collar, pulling it free and he rolled it in his hands. Stuffing it in a pant pocket, he made his way towards his team lead. He could see Poker and Ghost there but no Maui and Queen sighed inwardly.

He pushed the smile and rolled his shoulders, strolling up with his hands out. “Still kicking, boss,” Queen said, then looked over at the carcass of the car stuck in the house. There would be work to do. He put his hands in the pockets of his slacks, feeling the priest collar and beneath it, the small bag of coke.

“Oh yeah?” Poker turned to Queen, looking him up and down and smirking a little at his priest outfit, “What bachelorette party did they drag you out of, you cretin?”

Queen flashed a toothy grin, then squeezed the coke bag before reaching up for his rosary beads, twirling them. “Hell, I don’t even remember. That’s how you know it must have been good. What y’all been getting up to while I was dead?”

He said it casually, but it still made an impact on him, the ripple of reality stretching through him. It was fucking weird. Poker shrugged at Queen’s question, “Making more dead people.”

“We killed three Russians in Anchorage. Well, one of them was in the barn, but three Russians.” Poker said it like it wasn’t a huge ordeal, killing three people. It probably wasn’t to him, “Like Lucky said, we’ve been getting them back for Noatak.”

“Save me some,” Queen said, then glanced up at Poker’s hard features, “Maui?”

Poker looked back at Queen, his frown deepening a bit, “We loaded him on the chopper and watched them take his body.” He said, “And he isn’t with you.”

Queen nodded slightly then glanced back over his shoulder the road. They had appeared in different places and circumstances, like someone had taken them and scattered their bodies across the city. There might still be a chance, maybe he was in Anchorage and they just never crossed paths. He turned back, “Well, who knows. Maybe he popped up surfing some sweet waves.”

He found the half crushed box of Kools and fished out another cigarette, furrowing his brow. Even the Russian had found them, Maui should have if he had made it. Queen said, “I’m gonna find a light, need to burn one before Foster rounds up the class.”

He walked away unless Poker called him back, heading into the barn where he found the CORAL NOMAD operators hanging around and Sobel and Foster off aside. “Any y’all gotta light? Or maybe you could give me my shit back, like my lighter. That tackle box.”

His pale eyes flicked over their masked faces. The tall female glanced down at the shortest of the soldiers and he only stared back from behind the wrap around Locs. “Tackle box?”

Zeus snapped his fingers, “The effects, right. Guess we won’t be having a bonfire after all.”

He sent Junior to the last SUV to bring out the items that had been confiscated from them when they had been bound and hooded. The short Mexican handed him the old fishing tacklebox and a heavy bomber jacket and a few other items.

“I need to sign for it or something?” Queen asked dryly

Zeus shrugged, “You sure you want your name on that?”

“Did you go snooping?”

“CORAL NOMAD ask no questions, hermano,” he replied, a glint off his sunglasses from the overhead lightbulb was the only indication of a movement of his head.

Queen looked him up and down and then over at the tall female medic, “Shame about the masks.”

Zeus grinned under his gaiter, “They only pick the pretty ones for the Working Groups.”

Queen snorted a laugh and took the items, hunting a spot behind the barn where he could take stock of his goodies. He had taken a count in the SUV of the various benzodiazepines and opioids, hoping the labels of bottles were accurate and not filled with other things though at a glance he recognized most of the shapes and colors of the pills. He took a Xanax bottle, one of two 1mg he had inventoried then searched for the other.

“Huh...ask no questions, sure,” he muttered, but it was odd. Most that might steal pills would go for opiates or the stronger dosages.

Queen glanced up, a worried frown flitting over his face. He locked it and tossed the jacket on, tucking the tacklebox under one arm to head back to the house.
Dave and Ava Homescene


“So, this is it.” Ava said, opening the door to her house and breathing a sigh of relief as the familiarity of her home settled around her like a security blanket. She opened the door wider for Dave as she walked in, leading Thor in by his leash and harness.

“Thanks for taking my bag.” Ava smiled, stepping to the side to make room for the mountain man; Thor rubbing up against her leg and purring as loud as a lawn mower.

“‘Course,” Dave said, following her in and nudging the door closed with his hip. Ava had insisted he stay with her, after he’d admitted a certain fear of going home. He missed his people, especially his boy Mal, but given the current climate he didn’t want to risk being around them. “Thanks for lettin’ me stay here. Beats a hotel, right?”

“I hope so.” She said, reaching over to firmly throw the lock on the knob and the deadbolt above it. “It’s not exactly...masculine in here.” She said with a chuckle, looking over the theme of pastels, flowers and general softness of her home decor. “But it’s cozy, or I like to think it is.” She bent down and undid Thor’s harness, the cat bolting off to survey his territory with a jingle of his collar.

Ava stood back up and fiddled nervously with the leash for a few moments. “So, um, are you hungry?”

“I’m alright,” Dave said. He gave her an encouraging smile as he set his bag down by the couch. “Take some water though? If ya don’t mind?”

“Sure!” She hung up Thor’s leash and speed walked to the kitchen, quickly returning with a glass of water in her hand. “Here you go.” She smiled, a nervous tilt to the expression. “I’ve got soda or liquor if you’d want that too. I can’t drink it but I always keep some in stock for my guests.”

“This is just fine, for now, thanks,” Dave took the water gratefully and cocked his head. “You uh...You alright?”

“Oh, yeah.” She said, pressing her hands together and looking around her house. “I’m just glad to be home, finally, but I guess I’ve still got some nervous energy to burn off.” She said with a shrug and a chuckle. She hoped that was it, she didn’t know why having Dave in her house was causing her to feel such...flutters of nerves in her gut. She let Donnelley stay the night and hardly felt anxious about it at all.

“Yeah, I bet,” Dave nodded, walking over and sitting on the couch that was to be his bed for the next while. “I needa call my gramps at some point...Have him pick up my dog…” He sighed. He wanted to go home. “Ah well.”

He grinned up at Ava, putting on a smile for her sake. “Guess we oughta get settled in, huh?”

“Yeah,” She agreed, glancing toward the hallway as the heavy patter of feet announced the arrival of Thor. “You can use my phone if you want, it’s pretty secure. Unless you’d rather get another burner.” She continued as the large Norwegian cat jumped up onto the back of the couch, staring at Dave for a few moments before meowing at him. Ava rolled her eyes.

Dave reached absentmindedly for the cat, stroking his fur on automatic and smiling as he did so. “I’ll probably get a burner,” he said. “Need that...Ya know. Separation? I dunno, I ain’t a spy.”

“That’s probably for the best.” Ava nodded, huffing as Thor flopped down on the back cushion to accept his pets. She stood awkwardly for a moment, rubbing the back of her neck. “So, uh, are you hungry?”

He eyed her for a moment, amusement in his steel eyes.

“Sure,” he said, fighting a grin. “Let’s get somethin’ to eat. Wanna order delivery? My treat, since you’re lettin’ me stay?”

“Okay.” She smiled, sitting herself down on the love seat and pulling out her phone. “What are you in the mood for?”

“Anything you want,” he said. He leaned over a little, scooping Thor up and depositing the large cat in his lap to make petting him easier. “I ain’t picky.”

“Well, there’s a pizza place that’s pretty good.” She said, tapping at her phone for a few moments, then she got up from the love seat to sit down next to him. “Here, you can take a look through their menu.” She smiled at him. “I’d suggest BBQ, but I’m not sure if that’s a taboo for a country boy.”

Dave made a show of considering it. “I dunno… Barbecue pizza sounds kinda blasphemous….” He gave her a suspicious look. “But I think I can allow it, since it’s chicken. If it was ribs or somethin’ I’d hafta veto. You can’t order ribs delivery an’ expect them to be any good.”

“Rib meat on a pizza sounds good though.” She chuckled, turning her phone back toward her. “I like the pesto and goat cheese pizza myself.”

“That sounds a step or two too fancy for my roots,” Dave grinned. “But whatever you want, sugar. Like I said, I ain’t picky, an’ it’s my treat.”

“Then how about we go simple and get a meat lovers?” She said, pulling up the pizza in question and showing him. “Eeeh? That’s suitably manly right?”

“I ain’t worried about manly, I’m worried about it tastin’ good,” Dave snorted. “But meat lover is a safe bet.”

“Meat lovers it is.” She beamed. “You pay for the pizza, I’ll pay for some sides and a dessert.”

“Sounds like a plan to me.”




Ava grinned up at Dave as the two of them walked out of the civilian shooting range they had spent the afternoon at. Her hands were tingling from shooting her handgun so many times and her heart hadn’t quite settled down from the rush of adrenaline she felt when shooting.

“How was I?” She asked Dave as they stepped out into the late afternoon, the sun starting to dip low to the horizon and casting long shadows across the parking lot. “I hit the target a couple of times and I almost got the bullseye that one time! Pretty good for being a novice right? Am I talking loudly? I feel like I’m talking loudly.” She asked, pausing her stream of chatter to rub at her ears. “I think I got too used to wearing those headphones.”

Dave grinned at her excitement. Her initial marksmanship abilities had best been described as limited. But, a couple of hours of basic instruction on grip, sight picture, and trigger control had her groups tightening up appreciably. While she was by no means a combat shooter, if she kept cool under pressure he felt like she could definitely defend herself against your average mugger. Or Russian.

"You did great, sugar," he said, reaching out to give her shoulder an encouraging squeeze. "Gettin' some real improvement."

She beamed, the touch of his strong hand on her shoulder making her heart flutter a different way. “Thanks.” She said, brushing a stray curl that escaped her braid behind her ear. “You’re a really good teacher, thank you for being so patient with me.”

"'Course," Dave said lightly. "I uh...I had different sorts of trainin' when I was a kid. Found that bein' nice makes for more improvement than...Ya know. Not bein' nice."

He glanced down at her, leaving his hand where it was for a moment more. "So… I been thinkin'. You wanna have dinner?"

Ava looked up at him, tilting her head to the side. “Yeah, we can find some place to stop by before we go home.” She said with a slight shrug.

"No, I uh… I mean do you wanna have dinner. Like…" Dave groped for the words, suddenly unsure of himself. "Like uh...with me. Like a date."

Ava’s eyes widened behind her sunglasses. “Oh! Dinner, dinner!” She said, her cheeks flushing as an unexpected surge of butterflies taking flight in her gut. “You...really want to go on a date?” She asked, her voice hesitant but there was a hint of a smile starting to appear on her lips. “With me?”

"Well… Yeah," Dave said, surprised at her evident confusion. "You're smart, an' you're pretty. Fun to be around… I'd like to take ya out."

She smiled wider as her cheeks started to flush pink beneath her freckles. “Wow, um, thank you. I think you’re fun too.” She said.

She glanced around the parking lot and pointed over to where her car was parked. “Let’s...get in my car, I think there’s something you should know...about me.”

Dave grinned, then frowned, suddenly nervous. His mind turned her words over as they went to her car, and he was suddenly certain he was about to be turned down; maybe she wasn't interested, or was gay, or had a secret boyfriend she hadn't told them about.

"Yeah sure, no problem," he said, accompanying her to her car and steeling himself for rejection.

Ava unlocked the car for them, taking in deep breaths as she prepared to explain to Dave a very complicated and intimate part of her identity. She slid into the driver’s seat and waited for Dave to join her, cracking the windows so the interior of the car wasn’t so stuffy.

“So,” She said, clearing her throat as she rested her hands on the steering wheel. “Um, do you...Have you heard of…” She trailed off and took in a deep breath. “Do you know what Asexuality is?” She asked, letting the words flow out of her as quickly as possible.

Dave blinked, looking at her for a moment. "...No?" He said, suddenly looking more nervous than he had.

Ava nodded, clearing her throat again. “It is a...sexual orientation that is characterized by a...lack of sexual or romantic attraction towards others.” She said, looking toward him to see his reaction. “Though Asexual is more of an umbrella term, there are other...sub-sexualities that fall underneath it.”

Dave worked to mask his disappointment as she explained. "So...does that mean no date?" He asked.

She smiled at him. “Dave, I’d love to go on a date with you.” She said with a nervous chuckle.

"Oh." Dave lit up, then looked thoughtful. "But if you're not… You know… Romantically attracted… I mean the sexual part, ya know, that's a different thing, but the romantic part is kind of the whole point…"

“I’m sorry, I’m not good at explaining this to people.” She said with a grimace. “I’m a Demisexual Asexual, which means that I feel romantic attraction, but really only feel sexual attraction when I have a deep, emotional connection to someone.” She shrugged, her expression turning embarrassed. “Like I said, Asexual is an umbrella term. Is this making sense?”

"Oh, yeah," Dave nodded slowly. "I think I get it. So ya think we're romantically… Ya know…" He raised a hand, grasping for the word. "Compatible, I guess. But don't know about the sexual part yet."

“Yes, exactly.” She said with a nod of her head and a relieved smile. “I’ve never been in a relationship before, but I know that sex is a big part of it so I just wanted to be honest with you right off the bat.”

"Well, alright," he said, then smiled. "Thanks. And… Hell, let's get dinner then, and figure it out from there."

“Really?” She asked, perking up with a wide smile. “You don’t mind?”

Dave shrugged. "Ain't gonna know unless we try," he said. "Not like I'm tryin' for a one-night-stand."

“I guess that’s true.” She chuckled again.

She paused for a moment before reaching out to touch Dave’s hand. “Seriously, thank you for being so understanding.” She said, the flush returning to her cheeks even as she smiled. “You have no idea how much it means to me to be able to be honest about this.”

Dave returned her smile and took her hand in his, giving it a soft squeeze. "Any time, sugar. Any time."




The beach sand was soft beneath Dave's battered hiking boots, the evening sun warm on his face. This was the third actual date he'd taken Ava on, an afternoon movie that had segued into this trip along the waterfront. He glanced over at her as they walked, grinned, and reached out to take her hand, hiding his nerves at the impulsive act of intimacy.

"It's pretty out here," he said, interlacing their fingers.

“It is.” She agreed, flushing as she happily took his hand with a smile on her lips. She carried her ballet flats in her other hand, letting her toes dig into the warm sand as the wind tugged at the hem of her soft blue cold shoulder sundress.

“So, how has training been going?” She asked, looking up at him from behind her sunglasses.

"Good," he said confidently. "Ghost gives me shit for likin' commie guns, but Donnelley said I'm doin' good, an' even Ghost has stopped yellin' quite so much. I think he's almost impressed." He paused. "Almost."

Dave gave her hand a squeeze. "How about you? Them robots comin' along okay?" He knew she'd been working on the drones, but also knew it was futile for him to try and help. Instead he'd settled for sitting in the room with her, providing company and occasionally tea.

“They are.” She nodded, taking a step closer to him to lean her head on his arm. “I’ve updated their cameras and WALL-E and EVE are getting fancy new paint jobs tomorrow.” She said, looking up at him with a smile. “I thought maybe you could help me with that, if you want.”

"I can't program, but I ain't bad with a paintbrush," he laughed. He ran his thumb gently along her hand as they walked, a sense of giddiness filling him as she leaned her head on his arm. "Be happy to help with that. You wanna do 'em camo?"

“Yeah, help them blend in a little better with the forest.” She said, her heart fluttering from their contact.

She grew silent for a moment, glancing around them to make sure no one was around. Seeing no one within earshot, she leaned her head back on his arm. “I don’t want this to end.” She whispered to him. “And go back to work in that...place.”

"I know," he said softly. He looked down at her and turned, placing his fingers beneath her chin and tilting her head up to look at him. "We're almost done, though. Closin' in on the goal. We got this."

He held her gaze for a moment, then leaned down and gave her a soft kiss.

Ava’s heart felt like it was trying to beat out of her chest as she watched Dave lean down and felt their lips press together. She felt a spark tingle across her lips and she closed her eyes, finding herself leaning into the kiss as she continued to hold Dave’s hand.

A few moments later Dave reluctantly broke the kiss. He wanted more, wanted to pull her into his arms for a proper kiss, but he settled for another gentle peck before straightening with a smile. He still wasn't sure where things stood on that front, and he didn't want to shoot things down by being overly intimate.

Ava opened her eyes and smiled wide, unconsciously stepping up closer to him. “That was very nice.”

"It was," he grinned. He gave her hand a squeeze, then dared to lean down for a third kiss, holding this one just a breath longer.

"That was nice," he said when he'd straightened again.

Ava grinned, a girlish giggle bubbling out of her as she leaned herself against Dave’s chest.

He released her hand and put his arms around her, holding her slender body to his. He trailed his fingers down her spine, feeling the shape of her through her dress, but sensibly stopped at the small of her back.

Ava shut her eyes as she melted into Dave’s arms, his heart beat in her ear and the smell of his cologne surrounding her. She felt her worry and nerves start to fade, comfort and a sense of security welling in her chest.

It would be a nice moment to hold onto and think of when they had to return to the nightmare of what waited in Blackriver.

She gave him a hug and then pulled back to look up at him. “So, want to go get something to eat?”

“I always wanna get somethin’ to eat,” Dave grinned. “You want...I dunno, burgers? One of them burger stands?”

“Sure! That sounds good.” She grinned, taking his hand again. On impulse, she leaned up and pecked him on the cheek with a blush and a smile. “Let’s go.”

He took her hand happily, following along beside her.




Dave took the kettle from the stove just as it started to whistle. He killed the burner and poured a measure into the mug waiting on the counter, adding in the bits and pieces he’d learned Ava liked with her tea. That done he crossed to the breakfast nook and set the mug down within easy reach.

“Whatcha doin’?” He asked, glancing down at her laptop. “Work stuff?”

“Hmm?” Ava glanced over to him, her glasses absent from her face after her contacts had finally arrived. “Oh, no, I’m just...browsing this forum Foster showed me.” She said, scooting further into the booth so there was room for him to sit.

The gentle sound of rain pattering on the bay windows started to reach her ears and she looked outside to the grey clouds hanging over the neighborhood. “There’s that rain.”

“Been waitin’ on it all day,” Dave said as he sat beside her. “So what sorta forum? I ain’t seen you wrench on a truck lately, so I figure it ain’t one of them.”

She turned back to him with a smile. “No, it’s a forum of...people like me.” She said, motioning to the laptop. “Foster showed me when we went to Massachusetts.”

“People like you?” He scooted closer so he could see the screen. “Like uh...Psychics, I guess? Or...Who have visions?” He put his arm around her, absently brushing at her hair with his fingers.

“Yeah,” She said, leaning against him and reaching over to pick up her tea. “It’s crazy, some of them have had dr-visions of things that happened to us or of cases the Program have had in the past.”

She frowned at the laptop as she took a sip of her lavender tea. “They’re all just kids, most of them aren’t even out of high school yet.” She whispered into her mug. “I’m the eldest...psychic that I know of.”

“Hm.” Dave shifted so she could lean against him more comfortably. “So you talk to ‘em on here? Or do you just hang out an’ read? Have they...Been talkin’ ‘bout Virginia?”

“I just read, the Program is monitoring this website.” She answered, cradling her mug in her hands and letting the warmth spread to her fingers. “It worries me how interested they are in my...whatever it is. If they find out I’m regularly having these visions...I don’t know, I just don’t trust them when I don’t understand what’s happening to me.”

“Shouldn’t trust ‘em at all,” Dave said, almost reflexively. “I ain’t told ‘em anything about you or the… Visions. I ain’t said a word, and I won’t.”

“I wish I could say the same.” She said, giving him a grim smile. “I told them about the Hound and I had a sleepwalking episode after, but I didn’t say how far I went or who found me.” She rubbed the side of the mug with her thumb. “I talked to Donnelley about it and he seems to think I’m not in any danger, and he and Foster have my back. But I still worry I said too much...They were so fixated on my sleepwalking.” She shuddered and huddled closer to him.

Dave bit down a growl, and several suggestions as to what the Program could do to itself in a dark room with a fireplace poker.

“Well, you ain’t been sleepwalkin’ since I been here,” he said, forcing some levity into his voice. “Aaand I’m a pretty light sleeper, so you ain’t creepin’ past me to the front door even if ya do. Maybe you’ll get some gardenin’ done in the middle of the night, but that’s it.” He gave her a squeeze and looked down at her, smiling reassuringly.

She smiled up at him and rested her head on his shoulder with a chuckle. “Thanks Dave.” She said, taking another sip of her tea.

Her eyes landed back on the computer. “I wish I could help these kids more, it feels like it should be my job you know? I’m the oldest, I might be the first and some of them...Some of them have the same background as me.”

Dave nodded as she spoke, his fingers still playing through her hair. “Tell me ‘bout that,” he said. “I don’t know much there. Your background, I mean.”

“Oh,” She sighed softly. “I was adopted by my parents because, when I was about two years old... I was abandoned on the side of some back country road in West Virginia.”

“Just two…” Dave sighed. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry, sugar.”

“Thank you.” She said, blinking back the water that stung at the back of her eyes. “Anyway, some of these kids are in the foster system or are also only children and...I don’t know, it just seems like there might be a pattern here. Maybe if we figure it out, we can understand what this is.”

“Maybe,” he nodded. “I think… I think it’s good you wanna help them. Shows you’ve got a good heart.” He held her silently for a moment. “I ain’t much of an investigator, you know that, but if there’s some way I can help, you just lemme know, okay?” Dave grinned suddenly. “That’s kinda what boyfriends are for, right?”

She flushed and smiled up at him. “Boyfriend huh?” She asked in a soft murmur. “You making it official?”

“I will if you will,” he said, leaning close. “Ain’t anybody else I been kissin’ on.” He punctuated the point, finding her lips with his.

She returned the kiss, melting further against him with a soft, happy sigh escaping her lips. After a few moments she broke the kiss to rest her head on his chest. “Alright.” She said with a smile. “We can make it official.”

Dave grinned, resting his chin on top of her head.

“Let’s go sit outside,” he said. “It’s nice out. Got that porch swing, sit there an’ listen to the rain?”

“I’d like that.” She beamed, kissing his cheek. “Let’s take a blanket too, it’s pretty cold out there.”

Dave grinned and stood.

“Alright,” he said. “I’ll grab a blanket, and meet ya out there.” Then he headed for the living room, for the large microfleece blanket that Ava kept folded on the couch.

Ava shut down her laptop and picked it up with her tea and carried it off to her office. After putting it away, she passed through the back hallway, past the mud room and joined Dave out on the back porch.

She smiled at him as she looked out at her backyard, the bright greens and colors of her garden slightly muted by the clouds and rain. She took in a deep lungful of the rain freshened air. “It really is a nice day.”

“It is,” he said. He waited until she’d sat, then pulled the blanket over the both of them. He snuggled her close, pulling her into his lap, his arms around her. “It’s pretty out here. I do this in Arkansas sometimes, out on my mountain. Sittin’ on the porch, watchin’ the rain.”

“Me too.” She smiled up at him, as she settled in against him, her mug cradled in her hands and wafting the sweet smell of lavender and honey into the air.

Dave shifted in the swing until they were both comfortable, leaning his head back and enjoying the sound of the rain and the small, warm body against his. It was cool, but not cold; the rain was a warm one, a steady pour but not quite a storm. It cooled the breeze, and brought out the smell of the plants in the garden. The smell mingled with that of Ava’s tea, and Dave let himself relax while he drank in the various sensations.

Ava sighed, letting her body relax and her eyes fall partially closed as she sipped her tea and enjoyed the sound of the rain and the closeness of Dave’s embrace.

Soon she finished her tea and set the empty mug down on the porch. “This is nice.” She said, snuggling back into the warmth of the blanket with her head resting on Dave’s shoulder.

“It’s nice,” he agreed. Once she’s settled in he laid his cheek on top of her head for a few moments. The rain continued, and in the stillness he grew more conscious of her body in his arms. Dave turned and kissed her forehead, smiled, then leaned closer, pressing a kiss to her lips. He kissed her again, then again, shifting so he could more easily reach.

Ava smiled against the kisses, returning them easily as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders as she turned in his lap slightly.

The motion spurred Dave on, and as he went for another kiss he held, his lips parting as he deepened it. The tip of his tongue brushed her soft lips, slipped between them, seeking hers, and his hand slid to her firm abdomen. He slipped it beneath her sweatshirt, found the hot flesh of her muscular stomach beneath his hand, and he paused, hesitating.

“Is...Is this okay?” He asked, his voice husky.

Ava blinked her eyes open, looking up into his cool blue and smiled. Warmth and arousal was curling to life in the pit of her stomach, her body alight with excitement and pleasure from that simple deep kiss. “Yes.” She answered and kissed him again.

Dave had a brief moment to grin, then was moaning softly into her kiss.
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