ASYA/KaBhi OS: Something Fierce

I will take no credit for this storyline as it is taken from a book called Protecting Caroline By Susan Stoker. I have tried to write it in my style, I have tweaked a lot of it and changed bits but I have taken scenes and some dialogues from the book. It has my ending though! It isn't the best written Navy SEAL book I have read but it has a really good storyline so I love it! Do check it out if you want. I hope you enjoy this. Lots of love! XOXO

I can't update my index but here it is... Mojo's Writing Index

ASYA/KaBhi OS: Something Fierce

Dirty, sweating, bleeding and injured. Asad was glad to be flying back home after a successful mission. Being a Navy SEAL was hard but it was everything he dreamt of doing. He lived for the danger each mission brought. He lived for receiving and giving pain. He has taken lives and has saved many many more.

Glancing over at his teammates, he couldn't remember a time he felt prouder to be taking every member of his team home. Being a leader wasn't easy but having 6 of the most trained assassins America has ever known working alongside you makes every mission easier to bear.

"I'm going to drink till I can't see and then I'm getting laid" Gunner yelled at his teammates, everyone howled with laughter. It was the usual banter after every mission. And he wasn't lying, he will be wasted by nightfall.

"How are you going to get laid if you can't see?" Wolfe retorted from the other end.

"You don't need eyes to get laid. I've got all I need here." He grabs his junk to show the group.

"You dirty f**ker!" Wolfe shook his head, a smile on his face. You couldn't tell the man's legs were bleeding and his arm was scraped by a bullet. Asad shook his head hearing them playfully bickering and cracking dirty jokes too sensitive for anyone with a soft heart.

After they debriefed the mission at headquarters, they freshened up and headed towards their local bar, full of booze and desperate bimbo's. He nursed his beer while sitting on a corner table staring at the bar full of men and women. He was getting too old for this scene. He was surprised at himself but he wanted something more than a one night stand with a woman who saw him as something more than meat in a uniform. These women in this bar wanted to bang anything in a uniform to brag. He needed to look elsewhere if he wanted to find anything meaningful with anyone. His parents have been in love forever, his father still takes his mother out for dancing and their date nights was something sacred for them both. He loved her so selflessly and craves her nearness everywhere he goes. He wanted something like that. He sipped his beer in deep thought.

"Earth to bullet" Gunner sat on the chair beside him hitting the table with his hand. He was almost gone, Asad raised his brow at him in a silent question. "You were gone to another planet for a moment there. I have been trying to get your attention for five minutes" He shouted. Asad winced. He really needed sleep and some quiet.

"Sorry Bullet. Gunner here needs to head home." Wolfe patted his shoulder picking Gunner up.

"See you both at 0600 sharp." Asad used his bottle to salute them.

"We're going to see our buddy!" Gunner whooped. "Bye guys!" He waved to the rest of the team.

"Yo you done already?" Tex laughed.

"We're going to see our buddy" Gunner hollered.

"Tell Ghost I said to get his ass out of that goddamn cave and come holler" Biggie waved his beer in the air.

"Only if he wears a mask" Tex added. Ghost was one of their buddies who had been honourably discharged. An unknown IED blasted while getting out of one of the buildings and it had ruined his right leg. The side of his face has scars to remind him of the incident. He saved the team that night, a fact no one will forget. Ghost got his name by being best at what he does: recon work. In and out like a ghost, leaves no traces. You need to find someone that doesn't exist, he's your guy. He is currently cooped up in Virginia. They had three weeks off and so thought they would visit their old friend to see what he has been up to. Those three weeks are not guaranteed and you never know when they could be deployed if something came up. And that's one of the reasons none of the guys have settled down. No woman can handle them shipping off randomly in the middle of the night without telling them their whereabouts. They could take weeks or months before they can come home. Would anyone be there waiting for them when they got back?

Ghost had been wanting Asad to join Red Eye Securities in Norfolk. Since he was cooped up and retired from the Navy, he set up his own private securities company. It was still dangerous work but it would keep him rooted to one place. He may never be able to tell his woman what he was doing, but he could still come home to her every night. He was hitting 30 in a few months and he was seriously considering taking up Ghost's offer.

"I'm off. See you guys in a week!" Asad nodded at his team.

"Have fun!" Tex yelled back at his commander. "I wish I could join you." His sobering expression told him how much he missed Ghost, they were both quite close.

"I'll give him all the love" Asad chuckled walking out of the bar breathing in the fresh air. It was good to be out of danger zone for once. He had some serious thinking to do that would affect the rest of the team. As their leader he knew, without a doubt, they would follow him anywhere.

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"Of course. No I understand and appreciate it. I can't wait to start either." Zoya held the phone against her shoulder pushing her carrier bag into the luggage compartment. She clicked off her phone and stared at the seats in front of her. This was going to be one uncomfortable journey to Norfolk. Having her new employer supply the tickets for her flight was the worst idea yet. She decided to travel a week early before her new job started and with all the packing, she thought it was one less thing to worry about. Now she thought that she should have worried about it and got herself a better seat. The four seats in the middle were the worst. At least she had the end one. She tied her hair up into a bun shrugging her jacket off and took her seat. She shifted uncomfortably, she hated flying. This close space was suffocating her. At least her aisle seat was nearer to the front of the plane.

She watched from the corner of her eyes as people passed. Sneakers, flip flops, sneakers, loafers, sandals, boots... The boots did not pass. She looked up to find a man; a very large man had stopped near her seat. She swallowed.

"I guess I'm in the middle then..." His deep voice sent shivers straight through her. She nodded dumbly and stood up to let him pass. Their shoulder's brushed as he stepped inside the aisle to take his seat next to her. The man was larger than normal, his shoulders rubbed against hers when she sat back down. She didn't want to think about how uncomfortable he must feel. His muscular frame engulfed most of the aisle. She wondered if he was a body builder as she eyed the fabric straining over his biceps. He was sporting a pair of cargo pants with army boots and wondered whether he was in the Navy. He was too masculine, too rugged to be anything else.

She bit into her bottom lip fighting her conscience watching his closed eyes resting back against the headrest. There was no way he would last the 4 hour flight with the way he was sat squished in between her and the other men. With his knees hitting the front seat, he looked scrunched up and awkward. He didn't give anything away but he was miserable.

She fisted her hand before opening them and tapping his arm gently. She held her breath waiting for him to react. He didn't react, maybe because her hands were tiny and he didn't even feel her hand.

"Excuse me." She said softly, nudging him slightly harder than before. His eyes snapped open and peered over at her. She blinked finding a pair of light grey eyes boring into her. She held her breath as he examined her,

Asad looked over at the woman next to him hesitating to speak. He initially flinched feeling her touch, he wasn't paying attention and was startled. Which was bad for a SEAL like him. He sighed inwardly knowing he was about to get hit on. Women always looked at his size and assumed a lot of things. Even though he was in civilian clothes, his muscles and large body was hard to hide. He peered over at his neighbour sitting on the aisle seat. She was ordinary. He took in her jeans, sneakers and long sleeved t-shirt at one glance. Her shaded brown hair was a messy knot at the top of her head, she looked like she was in her mid-twenties. No rings, very little makeup on, her nails unpolished, she had round oval shaped large studs in her ears. Her eyes were warm caramel coloured. This woman did not look like the type to throw herself at him but early on in his life he learnt that looks were deceiving. Her hesitation made him stop that sharp retort at the tips of his lips to stop her from embarrassing herself. He patiently waited while trying to think of a nice way to let her down easy.

"Do you want to switch seats?" She blurted out. She bit into her lip watching his expression turn into something else. Confusion maybe. He obviously thought she was going to hit on him. If only he knew how messed up her head was. She knew she wasn't attractive, she knew she would forever be the "friend" that you go to for advice to woo pretty girls. She wasn't the tall, slender figured woman that men seem to want. She was more on the curvy sized with an hour glass figure. Hey, she was flocked by men all her life. They just went attracted to her. She was safely in the friend zone. Media's portrayal of "perfect woman" was bullshit. Yeah, I may not be skinny and polished looking, but I knew I was worth a goddamn amount. She may not be beautiful, but she was not dumb. She worked hard at her job creating a life for herself. That was worth everything. Her mother always told her, the right man would see her for her, the real her. She was a hoot to be around. Giving herself an internal shake, she would not be intimated by this hulk.
At his raised eyebrow she decided to explain. "You don't look comfortable, I'll switch with you and you will have a bit more leg room here in the aisle." She smiled innocently. Asad contemplated her words for a moment before jumping at the opportunity. He was not stupid. He was suffering in his seat.

"Thanks." He stood allowing her to scoot past him into the middle seat while he took hers. She felt him reach for his backpack.

"Just leave it. It will give you more space."

"Are you sure?" He hesitated.

"Yes. I'm short, it's not in my way." She chuckled buckling her seatbelt. She took a deep breath before allowing her body to relax. Everything was alright in the world again.

Asad stretched his legs out and looked over at her. She didn't even attempt to flirt with him. She just gave him a gift and went back to doing whatever it was she was doing. She didn't want him to notice her, but he did because of that very same fact. Unselfish acts by strangers were very rare. His team of brothers were the only people he ever received any loyalty from.

Zoya squirmed in her seat feeling the heat of the man's stare. She wasn't used to anyone looking at her so closely. It made her uncomfortable. Hell, she had a pretty healthy self esteem. But she did not like anyone picking up all her faults. She knew they were there, she just didn't like people pointing them out. Just mind your own business.

"What?" She snapped not being able to take it any longer. Asad blinked at her.

"Nothing." He looked away uncomfortably before slowly bringing his eyes back on her. "Why?" He asked.

"Why what?" Her voice softened this time hearing the confusion in his voice.

"Why did you switch seats?"

"Random act of kindness." She shrugged. The honesty in her eyes blew him away, a slow blush rising on her cheeks made him question the stability of his mind. When was the last time he saw a woman blush like that?

"Asad" He held his hand out to her. Zoya's eyes flicked from his face to his outstretched hand.

"Zoya" She took his hand and shook it with strength, appreciating his large hand treating her smaller one delicately. She removed her hand from his and tucked it onto her lap. She watched the flight attendant shamelessly flirt her way through serving the drinks. Why women as hot as her needed to act out to get attention was beyond her. She had better things to do than fight a losing battle with the model like woman cat walking the plane. She leaned her head back and wondered whether she was making the right decision being on this flight, moving away from the place she called home for the past 8 years.

"So you travel often?" Asad asked her, not being able to resist the cheesy pick up line. Man he was lame. He couldn't get comfortable in his seat and neither could he sleep. The adrenaline from their mission still hasn't left his body. Zoya's lips quirked before a full blown smile lit up her whole face. She might not be one of those insanely attractive women but man there was certain warmth in her smile that made his inside twist. She beautiful in her own way and that thought scared him.

"I don't travel often, if I am honest, I'm currently on my way to my new job and I am shitting it. I would have driven if my new company didn't offer to pay all my moving expenses including shipping my car out to Virginia." She sighed looking over at him, "My brain's curious so I decided to head out there extra early to get to know Norfolk before I have to start work." Her blabbering came to an end. Her cheeks heated, man she needed to slow down sometimes. He knew her life story now.

"Sounds sensible to me. I would do the same thing." He agreed casually.

"What about you? Norfolk your last stop or stop over to somewhere else?" She asked curiously. Hell she had 4 hours to kill.

"I uh I and a few buddies are headed for some leave in Virginia to visit a buddy. We were between missi- between jobs right now." Asad fumbled through his words. She was easy to talk to but he needed to be careful what he disclosed.

"Figured you to be military." She said as a matter of fact.

"How did you guess?"

"You being funny?" She raised her brow scrunching her nose - she looked adorable. He shook his head. "In shape, combat boots, muscles and just the whole military look" She smiled brightly ticking off her points. Asad chuckled.

"You're right. I am in the Navy, a SEAL." He never liked to disclose that he was SEAL. He was surprised he disclosed that information.

"So you're going to see your buddy?" She asked ignoring his revelation.

"He was injured in combat and medically retired. We're going to crash at his and get him to stop brooding. I mean he has done well with himself setting up his own business" He wanted to bite of his tongue. He still hasn't decided what he was going to do with his friend's offer.

"I'm so glad people appreciate what you all do for our country" She whispered softly, "It sucks when you have to leave or medically retire. I know a family friend who came home after Vietnam and was treated like crap." She hung her head in shame, the stories she heard were horrible. "I am glad he didn't let it rule his life and decided to do something else. I'm happy for him." Asad squirmed in his seat. She wasn't saying it just for his sake, she was genuinely happy for his friend, a man she does not know.

"What's this new job you're moving across the country for?" He changed the subject.

"I'm a chemist. Needed a change of scenery after my parents passed away a year ago." She smiled wistfully. She missed her parents.

"I'm sorry to hear about your parents." Asad's deep voice penetrated through her thoughts, she shook her head in a gesture to say it's okay, she was okay. "What does a chemist do?" He asked gently wanting to know more about her job. More so, he didn't want her to go into a deep thought. That sad smile made his insides feel heavy. He could see the lonely child inside of her - losing her parents not matter what age is hard.

"I'm a card carrying, lab coat wearing, chemist geek. There are two basic worlds when it comes to chemists. A macroscopic world in chemist is the one you would be thinking of when chemist comes into mind. A lab, a white coat wearing geek - experimenting with different compounds and materials. You can actually see, hear and touch things in macroscopic world. Other is the microscopic world, it involves things you cannot see or hear. It basically deals with theories." She explained, he nodded following her conversation. A smart woman. He had never met one of those -where her confidence, her smart mind outshone any outer appearance.

"You're a not a geek sweetheart." Asad let the endearment slip. "You're a scholar in a lab coat doing great things." She smiled at his compliment.

"If by great things you mean analysing substances trying to figure out what's in it then yeah I'm creating miracles." She joked. They were both disturbed by the man next to her snoring away. They scanned the plane, it was slowly getting quieter and quieter. Zoya reached forward for her glass of water with cubes of ice and brought it to her lips to take a sip. Her hand froze suddenly. What the ever living f**k? She brought the cup to her nose and inhaled. Her eyes snapped towards Asad's hand, before she wrapped her tiny hand around his wrist spilling some of his drink. His eyes narrowed at her sudden outburst. Damn, did he read her wrong? Was she hitting on him now? Not that he would have minded after speaking to her. Before he could say anything, she spoke.

"Don't!" She clipped out, her eyes cautiously scanning over everyone. He took in her posture, his senses became alert. She was on edge trying to gather her thoughts sniffing the drink thoughtfully.
"There is something wrong with the ice, I'm sure of it. It smells... off." She met his eyes pleading for him to believe her silently. He took his glass and sniffed it discreetly.

"I don't smell anything." He wanted to believe her. She blew out a frustrated breath. "What is it? Explain so that I can understand..." Zoya studied his face, his handsome face. The week old stubble gave him an edgy bad boy look. Okay, rein it in homegirl. The man is way out of your league.

"My training as a chemist tells me there is something else in this ice. I can pick up the smell of different compounds. I don't know what it is, but there is more than frozen H20 in here" She let her smartass mouth snap. In another situation, he would have laughed at her comment.

"Is it in mine too?" Her tiny fingers wrapped around his hand bringing the cup to her nose. Her touch burned his skin but he didn't allow his mind to linger. She nodded at him with wide eyes biting into her large, lush pink lips.

"Shit!" He muttered under his breath. His eyes scanned the plane, nothing seemed suspicious. He believed the woman sat next to him. She had no reason to lie to him. She tapped his arm making him face her. He studied her fierce expression.

"What do we do?" She whispered, her tone firm.

"I need you to do me a favour." Asad didn't want to use her for his plan but a giant like him could not pull off such a stunt. He searched her eyes and found the answers in her stubborn expression. She nodded as if to say "hit me with it". He wanted to kiss her raw, the woman was doing something to his insides. "My teammates Wolfe and Gunner are also on this plane." She tried not smile at the names, he could tell she wanted to ask what his name was. "Gunner is on 33C and Wolfe is sat on 22C. They are both on the end seats. This will be slightly easier for you. I need you to pass a message to both of them." He grabbed a napkin and wrote a series of coded numbers and words. He placed it on the palm of her hand and closed her delicate fingers around it. "I need you to tap your index finger and fourth finger in that order. He will understand it. Pass this to Gunner and relay that hand gesture to Wolfe." He tapped his index finger and then the fourth finger on her wrist to demonstrate. He could feel her pulse on her soft hand, he met her warm caramel eyes trying to comfort her. Her tongue peeped out and wet her lips as she bobbed her head in a nod. His eyes pinned on her lips like a beam of light. Focus soldier.

Zoya stood on her shaky feet placing her hand on his shoulder to guide herself out of her seat onto the aisle. His tensed muscles pulsed under her touch. Man he was big. She felt his large hands cup her waist protectively to keep her up. She couldn't lie. It felt good. His touch felt good. She met his eyes for a second, his dark eyes cleared, his expression turned soft. He blinked and she got the message. She pretended to head for the toilets, her eyes searched for Wolfe first. It was impossible to miss these large men. She tried to get his attention but he was focused entirely on something else. She stumbled forward and grabbed onto his shoulder dropping the napkin onto his lap. She pressed her index finger and the fourth finger onto his shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I am such a klutz!" She apologised.

"No worries maam" He nodded at her.

She continued forward using the seats to support her. Her eyes fell on Gunner. Damn her. Where do these men come from? She has never seen anything like this in her life. These men were HOT! She grabbed his shoulder and relayed the message. Hoping he understood her, she went into the toilet and took deep breaths. She was fine. Everyone was going to be fine. These men will not let anything happen to anyone. She flushed the toilet and made a show of washing her hand before drying it. She heard voices outside the toilet.

"Give or take fifteen minutes. You can go into the pit then. We will have control of the plane. Be patient." She clicked the door open loudly and opened it. The two men dispersed, one of them was the steward. Oh my. She headed back towards Asad in a dazed state. Placing her hand on his shoulder, she felt slightly calmer. He helped her into the seat.

"Done" She breathed out deeply. "I heard two of them talking. One of the steward is in on it. They want to take control of the plane in fifteen minutes." She informed him softly. He took her hand in his large one.

"You did good." He praised her and then looked around the silent plane. "We need to pretend to sleep." He kept their joined hands on his lap leaning back against the headrest and closing his eyes. Zoya did the same trying to remain strong. His touch gave her the strength she needed. The plane fell completely silent, the only thing she could hear was the rapid beat of her heart drumming inside her chest. She couldn't hear Asad's breathing but the firmness of his hold on her hand confirmed that he was very much there.

"I'm going into the cockpit" She heard one of the man say in a thick accent. Her teeth sunk into her lip, her breathing were coming in short pants. Asad's thumb brushed over her skin, she could feel the heat of his breath against her neck. She held completely still.

"I'm going into the cockpit. Gunner and Wolfe will handle the rest. Stay here." His lips brushed her ears, maybe it was accidental, maybe not but it sent shivers up her spine. She slowly opened her eyes and met his deadly ones. She removed her hand from his but he seemed reluctant to do so. "Stay safe." He jumped up and strode towards the cockpit not glancing at the scuffle behind him at the back of the plane. She knelt on her seat and peered over the back. Wolfe and Gunner were out of the seats wrestling a few of the men who were attempting to hijack the plane. The blonde attendant shrieked. Wolfe lifted his head.

"Oh shut you bimbo. They are saving your lives." The older man herded her towards the back of the plane. Her eyes widened finding a man run towards Asad. Without thinking twice, she put her foot out and the man tripped over. His body scrambled forward with a loud yelp, Zoya jumped to her feet nervously.

Asad looked over his shoulder to find a man on his knees only a few metres away from him. He looked for Zoya but he heard noises in the cockpit. He made an instant decision to go in. Gunner and Wolfe would have control of rest of the plane. He needed to make sure that this plane didn't crash and kill them all or take them to destination unknown.

Zoya jumped onto the man's back, an oomph left his body as it flattened. She heard faint curses from him, there was so much noise in her head. She couldn't hear or feel anything. The man was twice her size, he flipped her instantly. She blinked up at the scary male looming over her, sneering in disgust. She knew what she was. She didn't care. She didn't need any man's eyes to flare with desire seeing her anyway. She tried to fight his strength but a sharp pain went shooting through her body. The man had dug his knife into her side. Her vision blanked momentarily before the heavy man was lifted off her body. She blinked into Wolfe's blue eyes. He helped her up before running towards the cockpit. She held onto her side scanning her surroundings, most of the people were deeply unconscious, those lucky few who didn't drink whatever was given to them were huddled together at the back of the plane. She thought of Asad, she needed to make sure he was okay. The plane jolted suddenly, she grabbed hold of the seat with a whimper. Damn her side was hurting. The dude was heavy. Looking into the cockpit, she breathed a relieved sigh finding Asad in one piece.

"How you doing Zoya?" Asad looked over his shoulder at her in concern. She managed a weak smile.

"Fine. You?" She asked with a grimace.

"You sure?" Wolfe asked. She nodded convincingly.

"Everything okay? You guys need anything?" She said with more strength than she felt. Asad and Wolfe shared a look.

"Can you get the co pilot honey?" Wolfe moved towards her. She nodded and backed away. They need the pilot. She chanted that sentence a hundred times walking towards the back.

"Asad needs the pilot" She said hurriedly once she found Gunner. She heard him grumble something to the people. The leggy blonde was hanging off his arm pretending to be all faint and shit. She placed her hand along the wall and allowed her body to sink into the corner. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, not missing Gunner's eyes skimming over her appearance.

"Are you alright maam?" He asked her.

"I am fine." Zoya mumbled. She could feel his eyes on her. Was he expecting her to say something different? She was scared and hurting. She wanted off this damn plane.

Feeling the plane descend, she realised that they weren't going to Norfolk, they were making an emergency landing somewhere. When the plane touched down, it shook making her heart leap. She heard the co-pilot announce the landing in Omaha, Nebraska. She heard him saying something about moving to the back of the plane and federal agents coming on board. She gathered her knees together and placed her head on them knowing it will take some time to get off the plane. Wolfe joined Gunner after checking all the cabins, he inclined his head towards Zoya, Gunner shrugged. When the medical personnel came on board, she heard the leggy blonde, Sammy, exclaim over Gunner's knife wound.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me. Just a flesh wound. I'm a medic. Besides, the hospital will have enough on their plate with the other passengers. I will look at it or get my buddies to. Make sure you get the medic get a good look at you sweetheart to make sure you are alright." He nodded at Sammy. Zoya nodded in agreement admiring the SEAL silently. Thinking about her throbbing side, she knew the medical team have will have enough going on with the passengers. It was just a scratch, she will live.

When all the passengers were taken to the hospitals, she stood by and watched the craziness around her. After the FBI was sure there were no threats, they brought the group at the back of the plane to see the EMT's.

"Look I can see you're favouring your left side, let me take a look." The EMT looked at her disgruntled.

"It's nothing just a scratch. Don't worry." She waved him off. "I fell that's all."

"I should look at it." He insisted.

"Well..." She stepped forward but Sammy piped up behind him.

"Sir, I feel dizzy. Do you think I can sit down." The woman had her arms wrapped around the EMT's bicep and pushed her boobs at him.

"Uh okay, let me just finish up here." He looked back and forth between them. "Just sit there on the bumper, don't fall and hurt yourself." Zoya rolled her eyes.

"Just give me some antiseptic wipes. I will be fine. Go see what Sammy needs." The man agreed with her instantly passing her some packed antiseptic wipes. She sighed heavily stepping back and searching the open ground. She saw Asad and his two buddies walking towards a shuttle with their heads together, but he never looked back at her disappearing into one of them. She shouldn't have expected anything more from him. She shook it off and signed some documents the FBI presented to her when she refused to go hospital. The eight of the passengers that were awake were taken into a room to be questioned. They were questioned as a group; she nodded along with the other passengers not getting into details. No one paid attention to her. She explained that she slipped and one of the terrorists blood spilled on her. SEAL missions were notoriously secret and she didn't want to explain anything and get the men in trouble. They could explain everything themselves.

After the authorities heard everything and warned them to stay away from press, they were let go. Everyone was told that the flights would resume in the morning. She sighed not wanting to wait that long. She didn't have her purse which was still on the plane. She wanted a warm bath and her bed. She watched as Sammy and the other passengers fixed their hair and faces before stepping out into the limelight. Seeing all the flashes, she decided against going to the hotel they were all booked in at by the FBI. She loosened her hair from her pony tail and slowly walked towards the toilets. Her reflection looked a thousand times worse than she felt. Her eyes were dull and skin a ghostly white shade. Her lips were chapped and her clothes had seen better days. No wonder Asad didn't look back. Who wanted to look at this? Not going there! She unbuttoned her blouse and stared at her side. It was bleeding profusely, it looked slightly worse than she thought. The knife went slightly deep. It was too late to go to a hospital, it would be too packed. She grabbed a wad of tissue paper and held it against her side before buttoning her shirt inside out. Her shaky hands pushed all her hair back twisting her thick locks around her hands and then tying it up into a bun. She walked out into the quiet airport and found herself a dark corner before dropping against it. She held her wounded side against the wall and closed her eyes.

Asad, Gunner and Wolfe settled into a booth at the bar inside the hotel. They spent the last few hours going over the incident with their commander and then answering the questions thrown by the FBI agents. They downgraded most of their actions so the FBI received a watered down version of what happened.

"How did you figure out what was going on Bullet?" Wolfe asked Asad. They were all painfully sober knowing that they would have been out of it if they drank that juice with the ice.

"I didn't. It was Zoya." Asad shook his head.

"Who?" Gunner asked confused sipping his beer.

"The woman sitting next to me. The brunette."

"The one that gave us the messages?" Wolfe offered.

"She's a chemist and smelled something off with the ice. Wouldn't let me drink the juice." Asad thought of the brave woman that he had the pleasure of meeting. Wolfe and Gunner wondered about Zoya - they have always known danger, but they couldn't remember a time when the action of a civilian woman saved their lives.

"What happened to the fourth man in the grey? I was in such a rush to get in the cockpit that I forgot about it. Never happened to me before." Asad shook his head. He should have been more alert.

"He was in the aisle fighting with that woman - Zoya." Wolfe answered, "I took care of it and went up to you. That's about it."

"Was she hurt?" Asad asked suddenly regretting not being able to talk to her.

"I asked her, she said no." Gunner replied.

"What do you think she said to the feds?" Wolfe asked.

"No idea, feds haven't come here asking any more questions." Gunner shrugged.

"About that, did anyone notice anything wrong with the feds that interviewed us? I sensed something weird." Asad said thoughtfully.

"Yes, they seemed more interested in knowing how we figured out what was going on than about who the terrorists were or how they managed to get those knives and stuff on board." Gunner grumbled.

"I'm going to talk to commander when we land in Norfolk and let him deal with our concerns. We have a mission coming up in 3 weeks, we can't attract too much attention in the media." Asad nodded at his teammates scanning the bar for a familiar face. Gunner smirked seeing the leggy blonde from the plane plastered against the co-pilot from the plane and two other businessmen. They were guessing everyone was sent to this hotel by the airline.

"They are hot" Gunner watched the women, always on the prowl for a one night stand. "She was all over me before we left." He chuckled, "She's found someone else eh?"

"Where's Zoya?" Asad asked suddenly.

"I'm sure she is here somewhere." Gunner yawned. "Man I'm beat. Bed time for me." He stretched showing off his body to a bunch of ladies walking past dismissing Asad's concerns about Zoya like they don't remember ever meeting her. Asad couldn't help but wonder where she was right now. Whether she was hurt or comfortable. Man, she was amazing. She was the hero in the whole situation. Without her, everyone would be dead.

He had this urgent need inside of him to find her to make sure she was alright. Everything happened in such lightning speed, he just wanted to... see her? talk to her? hug her? She mentioned going to Norfolk, maybe he would see her tomorrow. No, he WILL see her. He will scavenge the airport to find her tomorrow morning before he leaves on the military plane sent by their commander.

Gunner let the door shut behind him hearing the women ranting about their possessions being on the plane. The men had their wallets in their pockets, but the women's purses were still on the plane. He wondered back to the woman that saved their lives. He was ashamed of himself for not thinking about her sooner.

"About that woman..." Gunner started.

"What about her?" Asad snapped possessively.

"SEAL's don't leave SEAL's behind. Ever." It was their motto, every SEAL going through BUD/S have drilled this into their heads. "Why do I feel like we have left a team member behind?" He scratched his chest uneasily.
"We all heard the women complaining about their purses being left behind. We didn't see our little Ninja last night or this morning. Where did she stay?" His voice hardened towards the end. He was angry at himself and his friends.

"Who?" Asked Wolfe.

"Braveheart." Gunner smiled slowly. "Our little Ice Queen who saved our butts." Wolfe chuckled understanding how she got her moniker. Without Zoya sniffing the ice, they would have never known how lethal their drinks were. Asad remained quiet gathering his things together, his men followed him out of the hotel and into their taxi.

Zoya washed her face in the restroom, the paper towels stung when she peeled it off her side. The morning crew were busily going about their business, few passengers lingering here and there. She bit into her lip seeing the blood seeping out of her side. She grabbed more paper towels and held it against her side. She wanted to brush her teeth and eat something. She grimaced coming out of the restroom knowing her side may have been slightly infected, she felt weak and light headed when she woke up this morning. The only good news was that she managed to re-locate her handbag, her purse was a godsend. The rest of the belongings were still in the plane and would be sent straight to Norfolk.

Staring at the bagel in her hand and leaning against the wall for some relief, she felt sick to her stomach. She dumped it into her bag for later and longingly stared toward the growing line for customer services. She didn't have the strength to stand there for long. By the time it opened, people had started queuing. Maybe it will die down. She had been doing this for the better part of an hour trying to gain the courage to stand in that line without feeling like her side was going to swallow her whole. She closed her eyes briefly. Relief would come, she knew it. She just wouldn't get it from a hospital. She'd die before stepped foot into one of those again.

Asad, Gunner and Wolfe stalked inside the airport, their vigilant eyes scanning it from top to bottom. The reporters were still going crazy outside. They nodded at each other before spreading out to find her, their hero. It was funny really, yet very humbling, three men who fought for their country in the scariest parts of the world, was saved by a civilian woman, with a strong heart. They would never forget her. Last night was an error the three men would never let themselves forget, for abandoning one of their teammates. She was a part of them, whether she wanted it or not.

"I really thought she would be here." Gunner and Wolfe met Asad near the main seating area looking slightly glum. They really wanted to thank her.

"We should probably go catch our ride." Wolfe said dejectedly.

"Are you both blind?" Asad gave them an incredulous look before staring over their shoulders, "She's right there." He nodded in her direction. Zoya was standing against a wall with her eyes closed. She was wearing clothes from the night before, her hair was a loose mess on her head, she looked tired and beaten. Guilt hit him full force. Damn you man. She looked exhausted, but there was something about that woman that made him crave her nearness. He was relieved to find her. Gunner and Wolfe turned around before whistling low.

"Damn I didn't even see her." Gunner grumbled.

"Me neither." Wolfe agreed painfully. "She doesn't draw attention to herself." They both followed Asad as he headed towards her. She didn't hear him at all.

"Zoya?" Asad whispered softly. Her eyes snapped open hearing her name and locked onto his. Her caramel eyes flashed something fierce before softening in relief. Something tugged inside of him.

"Here you are, we have been looking everywhere for you." Gunner exclaimed in his loud voice.

"For me?" She asked softly, looking so damn unsure of herself. Asad didn't like it.

"SEAL's don't leave SEALs behind Braveheart!" Gunner replied smugly, his tone serious.

"Me? I am not a SEAL." She sputtered.

"Maybe not in truth hon, but you saved our lives. That makes you one in our eyes." Wolfe answered.

Zoya looked back and forth between the three faces, very handsome faces, may she add. She cleared her throat trying not look into those grey eyes of the one man she dreamt about last night and then left her behind without a second glance.

"I am assuming you guys are all okay?" She asked, her voice sounded almost motherly. Damn, she couldn't help but care what happens to these three macho guys.

"Of course we are. Are you?" Asad spoke this time, a small smile on his face.

"Um yeah, I'm doing fine." She answered looking at all of them in turn. She remained silent not knowing what they were doing here in front of her. They can't seriously have been looking for her.

"What are you doing here? Do you already have another ticket for Norfolk?" Wolfe asked her breaking the silence. Zoya shook her head to clear the fog, man her head hurt badly. She couldn't decipher their actions.

"I'm waiting for the line to go down so I can see if I can get on another plane." She explained slowly, it was getting difficult to get her words out. "I have to fly standby but I need this crowd to die down a little." She smiled painfully.

"Doesn't look like it will die down anytime soon Braveheart." Gunner looked around and supplied oh so helpfully, "Come sit with us for a while?" Zoya knew she couldn't sit with these three men who looked like they stepped out of a GQ magazine cover. She wasn't used to getting any attention from a man, her stupid boyfriend of a year left her when she had her accident three years ago while she was stuck in hospital. Every woman she could think of did double takes as they walked past them. She didn't want these men to know she didn't feel good; she didn't want to show her weakness in front of these strong soldiers. A bloody scratch was causing her so much pain.

"Why do you keep calling me Braveheart?" She blurted out instead. All three men chuckled and her heart flipped, Asad's rumbling voice sent this calm Zen through her numb body.

"Yeah Gunner gave you that name after your brave performance yesterday. I think Ice Queen suits you better. Your sniffing skills saved our asses. But Ninja sounds good too." Wolfe smirked, his handsome face crinkled with humour. He must be remembering her little wrestle with the terrorist from which he saved HER ass.

"Gunner?" Zoya smiled slowly. Gunner pushed his friends way taking her hand and planting a soft kiss.

"It's good to meet you sweetheart. Thank you for saving our lives." He winked.

"And I am Wolfe. Thank you hon!" Wolfe kissed her cheeks, Zoya burned a tomato colour. She couldn't handle these gorgeous men showing so much concern.

"You saved me" She whispered to Wolfe who shook his head amused. Their concern felt good, but it wasn't going to last. It never did. She needed to get rid of them and sit down in her own misery.

"Well thank you checking for up on me. I'm okay and I'm just going get in that line." She said weakly before projecting a look of dismissal at them, "I'm glad you are all okay and good luck in your upcoming mission. Stay safe, okay?" She smiled at them peeling herself away from them, from Asad. She waved at them in a lame way joining the line for customer services and did not look back. She wasn't their teammate, she was just plain old Zoya. Alone and unloved. Well, there you go you dumb fool. Your parents loved you. Oh they did. She was loved. She was just alone now. No one to cheer her on, no one to care for her and no one to tell her that she could grab the world in her two hands. Her parents had her very late in their years but they were the most doting parents anyone could have. Yes she was loved. She mattered. Screw the world and judging humans. Her looks didn't matter. Her brains did. Her heart did. Thanks mommy and daddy. You make me feel good even now. A sharp pain shot through her side making her gasp for air.

"Well that didn't go well." Wolfe whistled. Asad grunted and headed for the stairs. If she didn't want to be around them, then fine. He didn't understand why her dismissal stung so much. He had never chased after a woman and wasn't going to start now. He was being an ass but he didn't care. He thought they had a connection on the plane, holding her soft yet calloused hand in his large one. If she could walk away from them without a second glance, then fine by him. Damn, when he caught sight of her entering the airport, he wanted to run over to her and hold her against him. He had this strong urge to protect her in his arms and never let go. He wanted to get on his knees and beg her to... to what you fool?

Gunner froze watching Asad march his way down the stairs to where their military aircraft was waiting for them, his clenched hands by his side. They all missed it damn and his teammates would be pissed off when they realised. He couldn't wait to remind them but for now, he needed to get to work.

"I'll see you on the bird" Gunner turned on his heels and went back up the stairs taking them two at a time. It was hilarious really, a large military man jumping stairs like he was skipping. He found her swaying on her feet, damn how could they have missed all that blood soaking her top. The little minx kept her hand on her side trying to hide her wound. He wrapped his arm around her petite frame startling her.

"What the" She freaked finding herself in Gunner's massive arms. He moved her body towards the path he came from, she started to protest. "Gunner, let me go you large man." She wrestled against him but he did not let go. He practically lifted her on the stairs dragging her along with one arm. She winced when her side melded with his muscled body. She could literally feel the blood seeping out of her body. In the five minutes that he lifted her towards wherever he was taking her, he said four words.

"You're coming with us."

He stormed inside the military plane and sat her down on one of the seats buckling her in. He signed injured to his teammates in the silent language they used to communicate. Asad's expression cracked revealing an anguished one. She sat up, her back as rigid as it could get. Gunner sat next to her waiting for the plane to be airborne. She cringed when he got out of his seat seeing the blood on his white T-shirt, but what surprised was her finding Asad on his knees in front of her removing the seatbelt. Where did he come from?

"Where are you hurt?" Asad asked her scanning her body but she hid her body with her arms. Zoya bit into her cheeks, he knew she was hurt.

"I'm fine." She shook her head stubbornly. "Really..." Asad ignoring her protests, lifted her up into his arms and sat her on the makeshift cot on the plane, usually there to care for injured teammates coming back from missions.

"Show me." He demanded. Wolfe coughed next to him placing his hand on his shoulder to tame his anger.

"I am okay. Just tired." She crossed her arms across her chest stubbornly. They were so not taking her to a hospital.

"Let me help you sweetheart. Gunner here is a medic. Please." His voice softened for her. Her shoulders fell in a defeated sigh. He placed his hand on her knee in a comforting gesture. "Gunner" He nodded. Zoya fussed slightly feeling uncomfortable. Gunner kneeled in front of her.

"Look at me" He commanded in his no nonsense voice. She peered down at him. "I'm trained, I will take care of you" He said seriously.

"Okay, if you get the urge to jump me after you see me, don't blame me." She joked weakly opening her buttons on the shirt. Gunner helped her out of it, his eyes never swayed. They were glued to her wound, he swore under his breath. Asad hissed beside her.

"Relax and talk to me." He helped her lie down, Zoya blinked up at him. Everything felt like a blur. "What happened after I left you to get into the cockpit?"

"This guy was coming behind you so I tripped him but he was huge, I jumped on top of him and then Wolfe killed him." She rushed out.

"You are a terrible liar Zoya. Now tell me what really happened?" He growled. "You saved me twice."

"You calling me a liar mister?" She gritted out playfully, but she could feel Gunner's hand on her wound.

"The man was on the floor but getting up. You just reached the cockpit, I wanted to do something to help you, give you time. I jumped on his back like an idiot. I tried to keep him down but he had me on my back in three seconds flat. We were kicking or wrestling I don't know. I didn't see the knife which was dumb but I am guessing he scratched me while we were wrestling."

"Shit, a scratch" Wolfe scratched his head, the girl sure did know how to downplay things. Asad growled next to him.

"Why didn't you say anything afterward? Where the hell was the EMT? Didn't you see an EMT when you landed?" Gunner asked.

"For the same reason you didn't Gunner. I heard you: I think those unconscious people needed more attention than me. They were so busy; they wouldn't have had time for me. I agreed with you, it was a scratch. I got some antiseptic wipes from the EMT and cleaned it myself. It's just bleeding more now." She lied. All three men grew still and stared at her. They were all stunned into silence.

"A bloody scratch" Asad cursed.

"The knife didn't go too deep, it didn't penetrate enough to damage any of your inside goods hon but it is deep enough. It isn't a scratch and it's infected." He glared at Asad cursing, "It needs stitches and antibiotics." He explained to her. Zoya looked over at Asad clenching his jaw together; the veins were strained on his neck. She blinked back tears.

"I don't want to go to a hospital. I hate them. Please..." She begged looking over at Gunner.

Asad turned her face to look at him, "Gunner will do those stitches for you." He nodded at her. Zoya swallowed painfully.

"I trust you Gunner I do... I don't want you to think I'm a wuss..." She didn't know why she cared what these men thought of her, but she did. She wanted them to know that she was strong.

"Sweetheart, you are not a wuss. You've held up better than men at BUD/S training." Gunner smiled. Asad watched his teammate comfort her patiently. The manwh**e that did not give two shits and was the least patient out of all of them, especially when it came to women. He respected women but he was short and abrupt with them. But there was something about this woman that brought out the protective instincts in all of them.

"We will be right here with you." Wolfe vowed. Zoya closed her eyes; her body was all scrunched up. Asad had to distract her.

"Where did you go last night?" Asad asked her.

"Nowhere, spent the night at the airport" She replied without opening her eyes. Asad met his teammates' eyes guiltily.

"Why didn't you go to the hotel? Didn't they offer you a room?" Asad asked knowing what her answer would be.

"Well I thought I should just stay at the airport since I was hoping to leave in the morning. Besides I didn't have my handbag and didn't know what I would do for food. The press was like a zoo outside." Zoya grunted when Gunner pressed the needle into her side for the anaesthetic.

"Hell, why didn't you just ask Zoya? If you needed money, I'm sure one of the men would have given it to you." He scolded her. Her eyes snapped open at his tone, she looked straight into his eyes, he noticed there was fire in them. He was going to get his ass handed to him, he knew it but he couldn't help but admire the fight in her eyes.

"When did you first notice me Gunner?" She asked without looking away from his eyes.

"When you fell on top of Wolfe giving him the message." He replied without hesitation. Understanding the question in her eyes, Wolfe too answered.

"When you came down the aisle and held me when you stumbled" Wolfe answered easily. Asad clenched his hand knowing where this was going, he opened his mouth to lie but she stopped him.

"Don't!"

"When you offered to switch seats with me." Asad sighed. He felt uneasy seeing how she accepted the answers like she expected it.

"I saw you in the canteen at the airport in San Diego, you dropped your spoon and I picked it up for you. You even thanked me and sat back down." Gunner flushed, embarrassed at himself. "I stepped over your legs Wolfe, but you noticed me coming and moved them saying sorry. I sat a few seats away from you before boarding." She glanced over at Asad. "I saw you when I got off the taxi Asad, I was having trouble pulling the damn suitcase inside the door but you..."

"I helped you carry it inside to check in. You said you hoped I have a good flight and walked to the security checkpoint." Asad completed before falling silent, Wolfe muttered a "damn" in the background.

"You asked me why I didn't ask anyone, it's because I'm not the kind of woman people notice. The three of you talked to me but don't remember me. I am not the type of woman people go out of their way to help." Wolfe stepped forward to stop her but she shook her head.

"It's okay. I know what I am and what I'm not. I am not like your blonde friend that cozied up to you. The ones that get men to fawn all over them." She shrugged casually like it didn't make a difference to her, Asad watched her silently. "Even if I did ask for help, I'd probably get turned down in a nice way but turned down. In a room full of people, I am not someone that is noticed. Now, I didn't tell you all of this for you all to feel sorry for me. I didn't ask for help because I knew I was going to be fine at the airport. Hell people spend time at the airport all the time. I just didn't have the energy to care last night. I don't have it in me to feel embarrassed telling you all of this so can we not talk about this when I feel all better. Thanks?" She blinked with a smile, "I just wanted you guys to know I understand why you feel you have to help me but I am fine. I'll be okay." She closed her eyes not being able to withstand the guilt in any of their eyes, especially Asad's.

"I don't think you understand anything about us Zoya" Asad stated, nodding at Gunner to start the stitches. He helped her curl on one side while Gunner started on the stitches, she didn't flinch. But the position she was in, Asad wanted to crawl behind her and hold her in his arms. Wolfe brought another needle and held it to Gunner. Gunner looked up at Asad for permission before injecting it into her hand to administer the antibiotics. Zoya blinked a few times up at Asad for comfort, she looked so tiny and so broken. "this will help you sleep."

"I don't think I need help with that, I didn't sleep well last night." She snorted. Asad placed his hand over her head. She was getting stitched by a stranger and some unknown drug being pumped into her system but she did not complain once. He would have smacked her if he wasn't so proud of her strength and resilience. He felt bad asking, but he needed to clear one more thing with her.

"What did you tell the FBI Zoya?"

"Nothing." She mumbled.

"Nothing?"

"Nothing..." She repeated, "They were more interested in the other passengers. They were willing to say what they knew which wasn't a lot to be honest. They thought you were some sort of military but since they were at the back of the plane, they didn't have much to say about it all. I already told you about me and people noticing me. I am glad though." All three men stared at her baffled before meeting each other's eyes.

"DAMN!" Wolfe placed his hands on his hips staring at the face of the woman he will never dream of forgetting.

"Why didn't you tell them what you did?" Gunner asked quietly. Asad was shocked that this woman had changed his friend so much.

"Gunner... hey why are you called Gunner?" She asked suddenly, he chuckled beside her, "I did not do anything, you all did the hard work. And I didn't want you guys to get in trouble" She gave them a sloppy yet sheepish smile. "I I... What the hell did you give me... Erm, whatever SEALs do is hush hush isn't it?" Asad nodded but she didn't see, "I didn't want to say anything you all didn't explain. So I told them nothing. Zilch." She slurred, "Believe me, I wanted to tell everyone how sexy you guys are and what you did for everyone, you all are heroes but that isn't how you all operate..." And she was gone. All his life as a SEAL, he wanted a woman that would appreciate and understand the way they worked. He wanted someone like Zoya. No, he wanted Zoya.

Wolfe slumped next to where Gunner was sat staring at Asad. This woman had touched every one of them and they would protect her with their life. They would never be the same and neither would the rest of the team once they met her. She was a force to be reckoned with. He was so damn proud of her and prayed for her parents who brought up such a wonderful woman. She had just become an integral part of all of their lives, not just Asad's.

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Zoya rolled over and cried out in pain. She felt like someone had walked all over her. She slowly opened her eyes and took in her surrounding softly thanking God that she wasn't in a hospital but someone's homey bedroom. Yeah, she knew that was nothing to be happy about but she'd rather be anywhere but a hospital room. But remembering all three SEALS staring at her before she promptly passed out; she wasn't the least bit embarrassed or scared. She could trust those guys with her life. She groaned when she tried to sit up but she was even more startled when the door flew open and Gunner walked in like the sun was shining and he had managed to achieve world peace.

"Good morning sunshine" His booming voice greeted her, a slow smile spread on her lips. Wolfe walked in behind him with a plate full of food and juice for the sleeping beauty.

"Hey hon! Was waiting for your beautiful eyes to open" He smiled placing the food on the bed and scolded Gunner who had jumped next to her placing his arm over her shoulders in a hug.

"How are you feeling princess?" He tapped her nose playfully. Zoya just stared, this wasn't real. She did not have two grown ass men fussing over her.

"How did you know I was awake?" She asked dumbly.

"Well you were groaning a while ago. We knew you were coming around and the shit that Gunner pumped you with was wearing off otherwise you wouldn't be making any peeps" Wolfe passed her the juice.

"I need to pee." She blushed a bright red colour. Wolfe didn't comment while he helped her up and walked her towards the bathroom. "I'll be fine alone." She told him gently.

"Let me know if you need any help sweets, I shall give Bullet a call to join you in there" Gunner chuckled hearing Zoya shut the door in their faces. While she went about her business, she wondered where Asad was.

"Who changed my clothes?" Zoya shouted from the bathroom.

"Bullet did. But I can't promise that he didn't look... Ouch!" Gunner glared at Wolfe who smacked him across the head.

"Ouch? You a kid now? What happened to the macho shit that you used to spit?" Wolfe taunted.

"Man, you have to kill all the fun!" Gunner grunted.

"Well Bullet isn't going to appreciate you teasing his girl so badly that she locks herself in the bathroom."

"Do you think she knows yet that she is Bullet's girl?"

"I don't think she realises that it's Thursday today and she's been out of it for 3 days." Gunner joked.

"What are you guys whispering about?" Zoya emerged from the bathroom looking slightly better than before. "Do you think they will release my bags sometime today?" She asked.

"Your bags are over there thanks to Bullet pressuring them. And did you know it's Thursday today?"

"Who's Bullet?" She asked instead.

"Asad who else?" Gunner raised his eyebrow.

"Wow shit. He introduced himself as Asad? This shit is hilarious, wait till everyone else hears this." Wolfe grinned. They all go by their Moniker given to them when they go through BUDs training; they are always together so they rarely hear each other's real names unless they go home. Asad has never introduced his real name to a girl before, and at the bar they frequented once they got back from a mission, none of those women who only wanted to be f**ked even wanted to know his real name.

Zoya looked between them in confusion.

"Come on, let's eat." Gunner patted the bed next to him, Zoya followed his direction. Wolfe passed her the juice and she sipped it slowly.

"You have already eaten you fat shit!" Wolfe hit his hand away from Zoya's sandwich.

"Hey doc, do you think I could have a shower without the stitches getting harmed?" Zoya bit into her sandwich passing the other to Gunner while Wolfe grumbled.

"I would avoid getting that side wet Braveheart. It needs to heal. I will let Bullet know that you need help showering" He supplied helpfully, Zoya choked on her sandwich before washing it down with her juice.

"Man you're bad for my health." Zoya grumbled, Gunner howled with laughter.

"You guys letting the lady rest?" Asad's deep voice speared through her, she stilled noticing the huge grin on Wolfe's face. She swallowed hard.

"I'm hungry" Gunner announced planting a sloppy kiss on her cheeks and exiting the room. Wolfe followed closely behind him. Zoya slowly turned towards the door hearing the soft click. Holy smokes! If he was good looking in his jeans, then he could have killed the female population in his uniform.

"How are you feeling?" He smiled at her and she went all goo. And Zoya did not goo. She didn't think she had it in her.

"Good considering everything my body has gone through" At the mention of her body, his eyes lazily traced over her figure. She squirmed under his scrutiny. His grey eyes were bright once they came back to meet hers. "Did you go to base here?"

"Yes. Just needed to clarify a few things from the incident. We had to let the commander here know about your involvement."

"I figured. I am happy to help, if you need me to talk to anyone, please let me know." She spoke softly. Not if Asad could help it, he didn't know what this thing was; he needed to keep her away from all of this. He stalked forward towards her and sat beside her forcing her to face him properly. He lifted his hand and stroked her rosy cheeks with the back of his fingers.

"I am going to kiss you now Zoya." He whispered a breath away from her before seizing her with a sudden, crude urgency. One arm circled around her waist dragging her onto his lap making her straddle his lap while his other hand travelled up her back and higher winding into her hair and forcing her mouth against his. His pushed his tongue into her mouth giving her no choice but to open up to him. She moaned against his mouth feeling his tongue tangle with hers. Her trembling hands snaked around his shoulders pushing him closer, her breasts pushed against his chest trying to get closer to him. She was not in control of her body; it had a mind of its own craving his nearness. He groaned at the perfect way her body moulded against his. He so desperately wanted to rip off his uniform and feel her bare skin against his. He pulled back a fraction finding her eyes shut with an expression of bliss as his tongue swiped over her lips. Her hands were clutching at his uniform. He nipped at her lips with his teeth before plunging his tongue inside her mouth again. This time when their tongues met, they caressed one another slowly over and over again. Asad retreated with his tongue, hers followed into his mouth. Raw desire for this woman shot through him as she allowed her tongue to explore his mouth before pulling back.

Zoya slowly opened her eyes as Asad took a deep breath but did not move his hands, in fact her held a teensy bit tighter. She had never been kissed like that before. The feel of his hands on her body did all sorts of things to her. She placed her forehead against his shoulder and he held her just like that.

"Wow." Asad chuckled.

"Uh huh" Zoya nodded against him. Great. They were both on the same page. Asad wanted this thing that felt real between them. It wasn't just chemistry, it was more. He wanted to explore her body AND her thoughts. She pulled back slowly; he gently tucked her hair behind her ears to see her face properly.

"How would you like to sightsee with me today?" Asad asked her softly. A look of surprise flashed on her face. He didn't like it. He wanted to spoil her rotten with his affection, he wanted her to become used to this kind of attention because she deserves it. The woman was special, he may have made an error when he first met her but he will never again ever glance away from this woman. He didn't know how felt such things for her so fast, hell, they aren't even in a relationship. But this woman has taken over his thoughts.

"Are you asking me..." She trailed off.

"out on a date." He completed with a grin. "I may not be your ideal date with the kind of job I do where I could be asked to leave any second, but I want to date you Zoya. I know you have only just woken up and I am going so damn fast, but I can't help it baby." She gasped. "I want to get to know you and see where this takes us. Tell me you feel the same way." He looked unsure now. Her shock wore off and she rushed to comfort him.

"I would love to go out on a date with you." She smiled at him caressing his jaw.

"The pleasure is all mine baby."

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Zoya was startled awake by some noise. She jumped to her feet and padded towards the living room in the darkness. She froze and her heart skyrocketed out of her body seeing the door handle move. Freaking shit! Someone is trying to break in. She ran into her bedroom and grabbed her phone before hiding in her bathroom. She left the door slightly open to make it look she wasn't hiding in here and looked at the window dejectedly. No way was her ass making it out of the tiny window. She jumped into the bath tub and pulled the shower curtain to hide her body from the intruder's view. She dialled 911 and waited.

"Hello 911, what is your emergency?" Zoya nervously put the volume down.

"Hello" She whispered, her body shaking. "I am in my apartment and someone is trying to break inside. Well I think he is already inside. I am hiding in the shower, please help!"

"Okay, I've got your address. The police are on the way. Stay put and stay quiet, they will be there as soon as they can."

"Thank you" Zoya said softly knowing deep in her heart that they weren't going to make it in time. She disconnected the call and stared at her phone. Asad's face flashed before her eyes. His penetrating grey eyes, his masculine body, his touch on her body. That one day was pure bliss. He took her out and showed her the city while he talked about his life, his parents, his buddies. But it was his presence, his arms around her body that she cherished. That night when she fell into a deep slumber, his hoarse voice was ringing in her ears.

"There is no doubt that I want you baby!"

When morning came, she woke up to a letter. Their mission date changed and they had to leave in the middle of the night. All she had of him was a letter and a forehead kiss that she didn't remember.

Zoya, I hate to be writing this letter to you. I can't believe I am being so old fashioned but there is no guarantee that I will be able to call you from where I am going.

You know me, Gunner and Wolfe came out here to see our buddy Ghost before our mission started; well that mission came sooner than we wanted it to. Yes, for once in my life, it gutted me that the mission came early. That reason is you Zoya, I enjoyed spending time with you, my hero. If you still want me, I want to take off from where we left off before I left... if you don't hate me that is. I know my job can take me anywhere at a calls notice, I want to be selfish and I am asking you to stick with me to find out where we can take this. I want to know you better and I know we have so many things to work out like this never ending distance between us. I have so many things running through my head right now. I am not sure how long it will take for me to get back to you. Sometimes it's short, sometimes they can drag on for longer. I am leaving my phone number on here since we didn't have the chance to exchange numbers. If you still want me, call me and leave me a number from which I can reach you or even to say hi to me. I would love to listen to your voice. I will call you as soon as we get back. I wish I was better prepared for this. Good luck with your new job sweetheart. I know you will blow them with your awesomeness.

Gunner and Wolfe wish you the same. They are never going to let me forget that I took you away from them and didn't let them enjoy your company before we left.

Love, Asad X

She pressed tears away from her eyes. She wanted to ring his phone and leave him a message so many times but thought otherwise. It has been two weeks since that day and she thought of him and his friends every single day. She was hesitant to call him doubting that he would want anything to do with her when he came back. Now she felt foolish for not leaving him shitload of messages for him to laugh over when he got back. She hit his name and waited till it beeped. She didn't want him to think she never wanted to see him. She did. Badly.

His voice was a deep rumble and her heart ached.

"Hi Asad, it's me Zoya. Braveheart, Ice Queen... I wanted to let you know that I would have loved to meet you once you got back. I didn't..." Her voice broke, "I didn't think you would want to... I don't know if I will be here. I am in my apartment and someone is trying to break in... I was suspicious someone might have been following me all week but I didn't think much of it. I am hiding in my bathroom and called 911 but if they don't get here on time... I wanted you to know I feel something for you and I really wanted to spend time with you... Oh" Her phone slipped out of her hand hearing the shower curtains rip open exposing her to the intruder.

"Hello little one" The man in the mask cackled. Zoya shrieked feeling his large hands wrap around her arms and yank her forward. She fought against him.

"Let me go you stupid ass." Her sassy mouth was her biggest weakness when she was scared. She clawed his face.

"Bitch" He pushed her head against the bathroom wall, the force of the hit paralyzed her and her body went limp, darkness took over from then onwards.

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Asad marched from one side of the ship to another, anxiously waiting for the ship to get closer to land. He desperately wished he could get on a military plane and fly to her. For now, he would just have to wait for his phone to get signal so that he could listen to his voicemails. All six of his teammates gawked at his behaviour, some amused, some smug, some shocked never having seen their team leader behave like this.

Gunner and Wolfe remained silent as they too were anxious to hear from the little woman they have taken under their wing of protection. She was like the little sister both of them never had, a motherly figure who cared about their safety and a dear friend they knew they could confide in. They both filled Tex, Biggie, Hardy and Frenchie about Zoya and her actions on the plane. They bragged about how she was the most down to earth woman they had ever met, who was so amazingly brave and unaware of her appeal on the humankind. They told them about her job as a chemist, how smart and funny she was, and as they relayed the stories, their voices held a ring of pride in them. Zoya was immediately respected and taken under the protection of four more Navy SEALs and were eager to meet Asad's woman whom they were warned to keep their hands off.

Asad went against every instinct he lived off when he left Zoya in that bed in the middle of the night. Hell, he left a stupid letter. He should have woken her up, but she slept so peacefully with that beautiful smile on her face, he didn't have the heart to break her sleep to give her bad news. So he left her, like a coward. Being a SEAL always came first... but for the first time in his life, he didn't want to leave for his mission. He didn't know whether he loved her in such a short amount of time, but he was well on his way there.

The phone in his hand vibrated a good ten minutes later, he held the phone against his ears eagerly praying with everything within him that the messages were from her. Man, he felt like a teenager crushing so hard. He never thought he would feel like this about a woman, whom he met on a plane. She wasn't model thin and neither was she perfect in a fake way. There was something else about her, something fierce within her that made her stand out from the others. Her beauty was on the inside which made her glow from the outside. He may not have noticed her appearance at first glance, and that was his mistake, because his eyes were used to fakeness and women who wanted to bang for one night. He didn't know what a real woman looked like apart from his mother.

"Hi Asad, it's me Zoya. Braveheart, Ice Queen... I wanted to let you know that I would have loved to meet you once you got back. I didn't..." His hand tightened around his phone; she sounded so unsure and so heartbroken. Her tone of voice made every alarm ring in his head, something was not right. "I didn't think you would want to... I don't know if I will be here. I am in my apartment and someone is trying to break in... I was suspicious someone might have been following me all week but I didn't think much of it. I am hiding in my bathroom and called 911 but if they don't get here on time... I wanted you to know I feel something for you and I really wanted to spend time with you... Oh" He heard the sound of the phone crash against the bathtub. "Hello little one" He heard the cackle and her grunts while she fought him off.

"SON OF A BITCH!!!!!!!!!" Asad roared, "Let me go you stupid ass." He could hear his girl fighting for her life. The next sound seized his heart in a vice grip and then he felt a punch right through his stomach as he fell to his knees hearing the loud thud. The f**ker threw his girl against something and then it went all silent. "Bitch"
"f**kKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" His breath left him in a whoosh as he fought to control his anger. His teammates were all on their feet surrounding him, they were all ready for a fight seeing the anguished expression on Asad's face along with his eyes screaming bloody murder. Asad was ready to kill and so were they. Gunner removed the phone from his hand as his chest heaved, his nostrils flaring, his hands fisting beside him.

"I'M GOING TO f**kING KILL EVERY ONE OF THEM!!!!!" Asad growled hearing the voicemail again as Gunner played it for everyone to hear.

"f**k!" "MOTHERf**kER" "SHIT" sounds left all their mouths hearing their girl, their teammate, the woman they were supposed to be protecting being ripped apart on the phone. Tex was typing away on the laptop while Biggie called their commander and demanded a leave of absence for all seven of them. Frenchie swore up and down the room in French. Wolfe placed his hand over Asad's shoulder.

"We will get her back, I swear to you man." Wolfe started, "But man you gotta keep it together. We need to plan and we need to act."

"We can't get off this f**king ship for another three hours!" Gunner bellowed kicking the door in frustration.

"Three hours she might not have!" Asad's deadly calm voice brought everyone to a standstill. "We know how these motherf**kers work, hell we do this kind of shit on our missions. She might not be alive by the time we find her" Asad gave them a reality check, "But we will rip every f**ker that touched a hair on her head to shreds." He looked into the eyes of his teammates, the world's most deadliest men.

"I knew that shit on the plane wasn't over! I can't believe we left her unprotected" Gunner went into denial.

Wolfe relayed the message to Ghost, their teammate who worked in private security about Zoya's kidnapping. Ghost had met Zoya briefly that day as they were staying in one of his guesthouses. He passed the phone to Asad who had taken over a chair and held his head in between his knees to calm the rage building inside of him.

"Hey bud!" Asad greeted in a voice that was not friendly at all. "You know the drill, I don't think the airplane incident was a drill. There is so much more to it. I don't think we can trust the FBI, no one else knew she was involved to that extent. Tex is working on sending some details over to you. Help me man." Asad's voice was full of emotion for the woman he was falling so hard for. He didn't want to lose her. As a SEAL, he shouldn't be holding so much hope for her to be alive but he did. Because reality sucked big time. Because he didn't want any harm to come to her. He wanted this to be a nightmare. He wished she was in the cocoon of his arms, under his protection.

He wasn't helpless though. A man like him could never be. He will find her. And then he will kill them all.

"Security footage has been wiped clean." Ghost told them, the only other sound in the room was Tex's typing in the background. They were now at base; it has been five hours since they heard the voicemail. It was seven hours after she was actually kidnapped Tex confirmed.

"Shit, okay. I will tell him." Wolfe pushed into the room. "Bullet, that was the commander, he received an email with a video. He has forwarded it to Tex and they said they are tracing it. Ghost bud, you got that?"

"On it!" Ghost hung up as they all surrounded Tex's computer. Tex brought up the email and all seven men watched in horror. It wasn't something that they hadn't seen before but this was Zoya, their sweet girl. Zoya was strapped to a chair; hair face bleeding and so were her wrists. Her eyes were swollen shut and her lips were cracked. They had beaten her. They had tortured her. Her flannel pyjama top was ripped from one arm. She was shaking, the only sign that she was still alive. For how long? They didn't know. Everything after that was white noise for Asad, his woman was bleeding to death, his clenched fists turned white, his vision a red blur. His sweet Zoya. His lab coat wearing Zoya was being tortured. His chair went flying back, he paced the floor like a mad man.

He suddenly stopped pacing; he was going to watch that damn video. If his woman was killed, then he would remember this moment when he avenged her death.

"f**k!" Wolfe and Gunner grimaced in anguish.

"Tell me what happened bitch!" The man behind the video screamed. "How did you know the ice was drugged? Those damn SEALs are too dumb to figure it out!" A man lashed at her, her head lolled to one side. "What tipped them off? What made them suspect and kill my men?" The man was getting restless.

"Just tell them sweetheart, God, just tell him what he wants to know" Biggie pleaded. But she didn't. They all knew that if she did, they would kill her. But he couldn't see her get beaten up. A grown man couldn't take the beating she was taking. Gunner paced behind them all listening to the man curse the SEAL's.

"I am enjoying this. How does it feel Asad? You like my interrogation skills?" The man obviously wasn't happy with him disrupting their plans.

"FBI?" Frenchie questioned but before anyone could answer, the camera moved. The goon on the right kicked the chair Zoya was on making it tilt on its side and her cry pierced through every one of the SEAL's.

"I am going to enjoy killing her and it is your goddamn fault you foolish SEALs." He taunted, "You ready to talk yet hon?"

"Go.f**k.yourself off your goddamn tower!" Zoya shrieked feeling a kick to her stomach, the camera blanked but the shrill cries of hers stayed with them.

"Is there a f**king tower in Norfolk?" Tex asked.

"f**k, it's the tower here in San Diego." Wolfe jumped up from his seat, "Smart woman." They were all in their gear and were ready for action. Ghost's call confirmed their location and they all filed out into the jeep. They discussed entry points and course of action. They didn't know whether they would get their girl alive but they were going to try to reach there as fast as they could.

"Hold on baby, please hold on for this selfish f**ker!" Asad whispered a prayer.

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"Entry point C secure, Alpha. Ready whenever you are." Biggie whispered into his shoulder, the speakerphone attached to their bodies helped them communicate with one another.

"Copy that, Charlie." Asad's voice came through to Biggie. Their team leader was holding it together for this mission. Never had he seen him so torn.

"I see her, Alpha" Gunner's relieved voice comes through to Asad. "Company at 12:00 o clock. Frenchie, take out the target. Delta, you copy?"

"I see her too Bravo." Wolfe confirmed. "f**k, what have they done to her? I am going to kill these bas***ds."

"I see the FBI f**ker!" Frenchie's voice came through to them all. Gunner and Wolfe cursed.

"What is it?" Asad hissed.

"He's one of the feds that interviewed us that day. No wonder he seemed dodgy."

"Oh shit, Frenchie go go go!" Wolfe didn't wait for Asad's permission. They all heard the outrage when the FBI agent dropped to the ground, the men surrounding him withdrew their guns and scanned the area for threat. Zoya remained curled on the floor, unmoving. It took them a few minutes to take the men around her down, but they didn't kill all of them. They were going to have fun interrogating them. Asad pushed into the room throwing his headgear out of the way and his gun went flying somewhere. Yes, he was being reckless. And he did not give one f**k. He fell to his knees in front of her; he didn't know where to touch her. He removed his jacket revealing his bulletproof vest and wrapped it around her injured body before lifting her off the floor.

"Baby, I'm here." He kissed her forehead.

"I've got a pulse." Gunner announced holding her hand and touching her neck. He slowly examined her before meeting his leader's eyes. Asad's whole body sagged clutching her body against him.

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Zoya slowly opened her eyes before closing them shut again. The bright light hurt her eyes but the smell took her into the nightmare she tried to forget. The lonely days spent in the hospital recovering from her accident. No no no, she was in a hospital. And alive. Her mind flashed back to the dark room where she was beaten to a pulp. How was she even alive? Everything hurt oh so bad.

"You're fine girl." She heard a thick French accent. She slowly opened her eyes to find four large men sat around her bed. Her panicked gaze searched for a door. "I'm Frenchie" He gently lifted her hand and pressed his fourth and indent finger down against her skin to reassure her. She relaxed her body before scanning their friendly faces again. I mean if she hadn't met Asad, Gunner and Wolfe, she would have been overwhelmed and maybe a little scared.

"We all wanted to meet you after hearing about you from Gunner and Wolfe. You are one of our own now Braveheart. My name is Tex, this Biggie and that is Hardy." He introduced them all.

"Hey beautiful" Zoya winced hearing Hardy's voice. "You.are.beautiful." He kissed her forehead. "It will heal."

"Hey there sweetheart" Biggie choked on his emotions. For such a big guy, he had the softest heart. He had two younger sisters and when it came to them, he wasn't a lethal assassin but a soft teddy. "I just wanted to tell you that I admire you. You are so brave." He kissed her cheek.

"Water." Zoya choked on her emotions. Biggie grabbed a cup of water and helped her sip on it a little. "Thank you. You guys are my heroes." A lone tear escaped her eyes. She looked over at the door.

"He doesn't know we are here." Hardy grunted. Zoya's lips trembled. Her heart felt like someone stabbed it and then carelessly threw it into the dirt. Asad didn't want to see her and that hurt more than these injuries. What a blow. She knew it was coming but she decided to ignore it.

"Thanks for coming to see me. I am not a part of your team, I feel like I got in the way of you all. You had to save my ass again. I'm fine." She tried to blink her tears away. She will ride out this pain, once they are gone. Biggie grabbed his trident pin and pinned it against her gown.

"You are a part of our team sweetgirl. No one is more deserving. You have had a tough few weeks yet you are still going strong. You didn't break, girl I have seen grown men weep from the torture you have suffered but you held it together. You saved our teammates more than once. If you need us at all, please all you have to do is ask." Her hand went over the pin before she scanned the eyes of her new brothers.

"Can you get me out of here?" She broke into a sob. "I hate hospitals." She let her tears fall.

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Gunner pushed Asad's making him go staggering back a few steps before glaring at his friend and teammate.

"How the f**k can you leave her in a hospital. She hates hospitals. You two are freaking crazy about one another, why the hell are you doing this to yourself?" Gunner yelled at his friend, he had never been so disappointed in him.

"She's f**king hurt because of me." Asad shouted back at his friend. "She almost lost her life because of me."

"Bull f**king shit Bullet. She is the toughest chick we know and that is why she is in there. I can't name one woman that would have survived what she did. Most women would have cowered on that plane and then we'd all have been dead or held for bloody ransom. She is hurt and she is wishing you were there with her. I swear man if I was ever lucky to get a woman like her, I would be grabbing her with both hands and never letting her out of my sight. She is special. She is damn loyal and would devote all her love and time to you. You need the love of a good woman, heck we all do. But you aren't brave enough to even take that chance with her. There is no guarantee for any of us man, not because of our jobs, but because people die every day. There is no guarantee, but her, she is your guarantee. You are going to regret it for the rest of your life if you don't go after her!" He breathed harshly meeting Asad's eyes. They didn't speak for a good few minutes. "The guys went to see her." Asad's eyes flashed.
"She looks like she has been hell and back. Biggie gave her his Budweiser pin and made her a part of the team." Asad kicked the chair in front of him, he wanted to be the one to give her his pin.
"She asked for a favour from them and asked them to get her the hell out of there."

"What the hell? She's injured" Asad roared. Gunner turned around and headed for the door before stopping.

"A few years back she was in an accident. She spent months in hospital. Her parents were old, they had her pretty late in their lives. They both couldn't travel to come and see her. Her f**ker of a boyfriend dumped her. The other visitor was the lawyer coming for a settlement. She sat through her treatments cold and alone, no one to support or fight for her when she was tired. None cared about the single, ordinary woman sitting alone in her room withering away, no one came to piece her together." Gunner held the door in his hand, "Biggie took her to stay with him for a week and then he is going to fly her back to Norfolk. If you don't want her, fine. But we respect and love her. We will take care of our Braveheart if you don't decide to remove the giant stick that is up your arse."

"Don't want her?" Asad growled, "I f**king love that woman beyond anything that is sane."

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"Biggie, please stop fussing over me. I am fine." Zoya mock glared at him from the sofa, she was fed of being scooped in the bedroom. When she insisted on resting on the sofa, he fluffed the hell out of the pillows and then wrapped her up with a blanket. She didn't understand why he wasn't letting her go back to Norfolk. Hell, she didn't even know if she had anything left there anymore. Her new job would be no more, who would tolerate her disappearance? Maybe this was a sign that she should have stayed in San Diego. She hated imposing on Biggie like this even though he was the one that brought her here and put her on lockdown.

"Listen Braveheart, I rang my sisters and they said you need lots of love and care. I don't know about the lovin' cus I'm doing my best here but I am going to care for you dammit. Stop being so difficult!" He sighed dramatically, for a giant, he was such a cute bear. "That means if I want to fuss over you then I will. I am on leave so don't even think about getting out of here or kicking me out."

"Why would I kick you out of your own home?" Zoya asked exasperated, "I hate imposing on you like this. I am fine. I shall be up and about in no time."

"Of course you will hon." He dropped to the opposite sofa and smiled. "You are not imposing. I am glad you are here, healing under my watchful eyes" He gave her a serious look that was meant to scare her into accepting his help. "Anyways, the guys are coming over. They are bloody bombing my phone over you." Zoya gasped in shock and felt slightly overwhelmed. She has never had so many people being concerned over her health and her happiness. These guys were trying so damn hard to make her feel at home. But her stupid heart wanted to see him. Even if it was for a few seconds. If you still want me... She did want him, too bad he didn't.

"I wouldn't mind seeing a few happy faces. I think I should make them something to eat." She threw the cover off her but immediately regretted it when the giant loomed over her covering her back up.

"I don't think so. I am going to get some takeaway for those hungry hellions." He chastised her.

"Okay mother hen. I am not moving, or breathing." She crossed her arms in mock annoyance. "When do you think I can fly home?" It sounded wrong to her own ears. Norfolk was never her home.

"What, you don't like staying with me?" Biggie frowned placing his hand over his chest showing his hurt.

"No no, it's not that. I love it here." She rushed out.

"That's great." He beamed, "I'm going to shower!" He waved dismissively.

Zoya fell back against the sofa. She couldn't even be angry at his dramatics. They were an entertaining bunch with large hearts. Dirty mouths, but clean hearts no doubt. Biggie laughed when she mentioned that. He claimed their hearts were tainted black; the horrors of the missions will never leave them. They have done unforgiveable things in their line of duty. She gently thanked him and Frenchie with tears in her eyes.

She looked up hearing the doorbell. Biggie was in the shower so she decided to open it and suffer the scolding later on. She limped towards the door and opened it slowly.

"Hey princess." Gunner engulfed her in a giant hug and kissed her cheek softly. Zoya sighed in his arms but she didn't feel peace that she got from Asad's arms. "What did I tell you about opening the door without seeing who it is?" He told her off.

"When?" She peered up at him as he supported her to the sofa.

"Now." He told her fussing over her. She gave up and let him wrap the blanket around her.

"I am fine." She pouted.

"And you're cute." He tapped her head. "I'm hungry" He said distractedly going to rummage Biggie's kitchen drawers.

"This is unfair." She shouted.

"I agree. Nothing in life is fair." Gunner yelled back.

"You can say that again." She muttered pulling at the thread on the blanket. She looked up seeing someone's shadow across the floor; she slowly gazed up at their new guest. She sucked in a sharp breath at the sight of the man that tore her heart out. He looked like he had freshly showered; his dark brown hair was mussed on his head. He wore black jeans and a camouflage green military T-shirt that was tight against his body defining every hard muscle on his delectable body. Her eyes hurt and so did her stupid heart which skipped a bit at his nearness. His cologne infiltrated the living room he stood in staring intensely at her. He didn't move, he stood there for a minutes taking in every bit of her appearance as if he was committing her sight to his memory. Her eyes suddenly burned, her lips trembled so she looked away. Her eyes searched for Gunner who was making noises in the kitchen. She could hear his boots in the silent room making its way towards her until he was centimetres away from her. He was looming over her but she didn't have the courage to look up at him. She didn't move in fear that she would touch him and crumble.

"Zoya" He said her name as a prayer. She closed her eyes struggling to breathe. She felt his warm breath on her neck as he leaned in towards her, her eyes snapped open feeling his hands wrapping the blanket around body tightly lifting her into his arms. She struggled to find words suddenly confused as to what was happening. Her world had just tilted on its axis. Her traitorous body curled into his as he carried her out of the house without a word. His dark grey eyes held her captive and any protests died on her lips. There were so many emotions swirling in those eyes that she didn't know what to make of it. The passenger door to the Landrover was wide open and he easily deposited her into the seat before pulling the seatbelt in to place. His nearness, his hands brushing over her body did all sorts of things to her insides. No this can't be real. He cannot be here. This cannot be happening. Her body finally caught up with her.

"WHAT THE HELL?" She stammered. "What are you doing? Please let me go. You can't do this." She struggled to remove the seatbelt; she panicked looking everywhere at once. She found Gunner grinning at the door; his arms crossed watching the show like he had no care in the world. "Gunner, please." She almost cried. Asad stepped into her line of sight; he lowered his head to meet her eyes. His hands shakily caressed her cheeks.

"Please." He pleaded. "Trust me." He asked in agony. Zoya closed her eyes placing her hand over them and nodded reluctantly. She did trust him. Despite everything, she would trust him with her life. Because he saved her. He brought her out of that hell. He came after her. It's not his fault he didn't want her romantically.
"Thank you baby." She winced hearing the endearment. A slip of his tongue. She didn't look when he cranked the heat up and closed the door. "Catch" Asad shouted throwing something at Gunner before getting inside the car and driving off.

They parked in front of a secure three floor building. He turned the engine off and they both waited in silence staring up at the building. There was so much to be said between the two but for now, this silence was everything. It gave her the courage to face whatever was coming her way and it helped him strengthen his vow to sort this out between them. He jumped out of the car and then came around.

"I can walk." She whispered softly without looking at him.

"I know." He lifted her into his arms and walked into the building he owned. He went inside the lift and pressed 3. She kept her eyes on his neck, trying not to rejoice being in his arms again or feeling the warmth of his breath over her cheeks. Stepping into the open apartment, her eyes moved away from him and scanned it. It was barely furnished and it was very spacious. The large living room opened up to the view of the quiet city. It was attached to the large kitchen and there were two doors to the left of the room. He strode over towards the large sofa and placed her on it gently. He then stood up and ran his fingers through his hair trying to gather his thoughts and feelings. He looked down at her, she was staring out of the open windows. What did she think of his place? Did she like it or hate it?
"Do you want something to drink?" He asked her softly, his voice betraying his emotions. For a tough man, this woman could break him in two without doing anything. She shook her head in a no. Asad dropped to his knees in front of her; the movement caused her to look over at him. He had his eyes closed but held his head low so she couldn't see the expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" She placed her hand on his shoulder, in a comforting gesture. He tilted his head back and met her eyes. They were red and full of tears. Was this the same soldier that she met on the plane?

"If something happened to you..." His voice cracked making her insides stir.

"I'm fine. You and your teammates saved me." She whispered back. She hesitated touching his face, he looked even more hurt.

"Because of me." He held her face between his hands as if he couldn't believe she was in front of him. When he took her to the hospital that day, he held a body that was like a corpse, unmoving. A part of him died that day. He told himself that she was better off without him, he didn't deserve her. The FBI agent was brutal with her because of her connection with him, because he blew the operation. He failed to protect her.

"No. Not because of you Asad. Are you stupid?!" She looked at him weird. "When I smelled that ice and stopped you, I made the decision to stop whatever it was. We didn't ask for what happened on that plane, but it happened. You stopped so many people from dying. You saved lives, you saved mine. That FBI agent chose to deceive the bureau and I am hurt because of him. You saved me you stupid ass. I would be dead right now if it wasn't for you coming to save me." She tried not to cry but a tear slipped out remembering the painful blows to her body. She shivered, she was no strong woman. She cried and screamed like a baby telling them to stop.

"They hurt you so bad." His thumb caressed her cheek not listening to a word she was saying.

"Bruises will heal. I am still breathing. I am alive." She shrugged. His hand went to her chest and then under her top to feel her heartbeat.

"Yes you are." He nodded not wanting to remember the time where he thought he wouldn't get her back alive. He hands cupped her neck in a soft caress before he leaned forward and brushed a kiss against her nose, her cheeks and then her lips. His eyes roamed over her face lovingly taking in her every bruise and cursing those assholes that hurt her. If they weren't all dead, he would have killed them again. He pressed another kiss to her lips, then another, and another. She just sat there.

"What are you doing?" She asked him when he kissed down her neck and chest trying to push him off her.

"Kissing you." He replied not stopping his shower of kisses.

"Asad, I didn't say..." She tried to stop the shivers, "You can't just after everything..."

"Yes you did..." He rested his face at the curve of her neck. "I'm so sorry for being an idiot baby. I thought you would be better off without me. Maybe you still would be. But I can't let you go. I need you so goddamn much, I want you so much that it hurts." He kissed her neck pulling her close to him. "Please tell me I haven't ruined everything; please tell me we can start again?"

"We can't." She cried shaking her head. Asad closed his eyes clutching her against him tightly. "We are too far gone to start from the beginning." Her hands gripped the back of his head as he slowly moved his face from her neck to her chest, his body deflated in defeat.

"Please give me another chance. I promise I will spend the rest of my life loving you and making it up to you. You are so wanted, I am sorry for making you feel like you aren't. Please let me fight for you baby. Please let me be with you." And then he cried. Who said strong men don't cry?

"I'm so in love with you Asad." Zoya confessed, Asad pulled back and stared at her in shock. "I think when you shook my hand on the aeroplane; I was gone for you then." She didn't wipe the ugly tears she was shedding. It made her feel weirdly lighter. She looked into his eyes, and really looked trying to tell him that she was far too gone with him to go to the beginning. "We can't go back to the beginning. It means that I have to un-love you and I can't do that." A slow smile spread across his handsome face, he looked like a little boy who got his Christmas present.

"You love me?" He asked her. "I knew it." He laughed, but with emotion. She punched his shoulder.

"I haven't forgiven you yet." She tried not to smile.

"Yes you have. And you know what? I love you too. I think when you told me that you were a lab coat wearing chemist geek. I wanted you to be my geek." He grinned.

"I thought I was a scholar?" She raised her eyebrow.

"You are. And now I am going to be one." She frowned in confusion. "I am going to explore every inch of your body." He bared his teeth in a mischievous grin, his eyes twinkling.

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"She's glowing." Gunner commented next to him. Asad stood leaning against the wall, admiring his girl as Biggie spun her on the dancefloor. It was the big guy's birthday and they were currently celebrating in Asad's backyard; Zoya's idea of a surprise party for his friend.

"Yeah." Asad sighed in contentment. They only just got back two days ago from their last mission and he wanted to spend this week cooped in bed with his girl. There was so much happening and he hadn't even told her anything yet.

"Does she know?" Wolfe asked sitting down on the chair next to him.

"Not yet." He smiled hearing her laughter; his insides were warm with feels. Gosh, he loved that woman with a passion. She left her job in Norfolk and came back to San Diego to her old job. She told him that it wasn't for him, she just didn't feel like she could settle in Norfolk. He didn't comment and smoothly moved her in with him. The condo looks much more homely now that she is wandering around in it with her bare feet wearing his shirts. Man, that sight was too much for his heart.

"I can't believe you will be settling down." Gunner shook his head. "But you're a lucky guy." He smiled at the girl who had impacted all of them.

"I know man. I know." He touched the box in his pocket that was burning holes. He couldn't wait to put the ring on her finger and claim her.

"Are we really doing this?" Tex asked joining them. Asad had finally accepted Ghost's idea but instead, they were going to open their own security firm here in San Diego with his teammates who are all following him out of the Navy.

"Yup! Good times." Asad placed his beer bottle on the nearest table and followed his eyes. His strides were quick and long. He wrapped his hand around her waist and yanked her back against his body. "Mine." He growled into her ear. Biggie laughed moving onto someone else. "You ready to get out of here baby?"

"This is our home. We are hosting this. We can't leave. We have to cut the cake." She listed.

"Biggie is a big boy. He can cut his own goddamn cake. Let's go." He turned her around and smacked his lips against hers. Any protest left her the second his tongue slipped into her mouth. He lifted her body against his chest and walked out of the garden. Everyone hooted in the background but who was listening when his little minx was making all sorts of other pleasurable noises.

THE END.

XOXO

Res 😊
****
Unres
Hey dear...
I read this os three times already!!
And I loved it!!
I have read many stories on IF and I must say that your writing style is unique and special...I am in love with your writeups!!...They all are amazing!! 😊
Your stories are soo different yet so awesome!!
And this os is no different... 😊
Asad as SEAL...Oh Man!! 😳
Asad aka Bullet...impressive!!
I just loved Wolfe, Gunner...!!
And our Zoya ...aww!!
She's so courageous n brave!!...and stole asad's heart in just one glance!! 😳

Loved the concept, style , story , characters n everything about this one dear!!!
You are a one gifted writer...Hatsoff to you!! 👏

Thanks for the pm dear n plz do pm me when you update next...Would love to read!!
Plz dont ever stop writing on asya...keep writing!! 😊
Loads of Love n 🤗
Nik

YOU POSTED THE PROMISED OS!!!!

ITS JUST THE PERFECT SIZE SO LOOONGGG! ❤️

i love your stories they are the best

It's 5:20am in the morning here ad I haven't slept a blink becoz I re read the story 4 times

Another thing. I typed the comments without my spectacles. Which means i am practically blind.

This was simply A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.'

Oh my god