[color=1a7b30]>RESIDENCE INN >SEATTLE, WA >14SEP2019 >1250...///[/color] 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... [color=1a7b30]>...///[/color] 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. [color=1a7b30]>.../// >1825...///[/color] 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 [i]still[/i] 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 [i]legally[/i] 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.