Emily expected all eyes to be on them when they returned to the others. But it was quite the opposite. Two officers were heads down, studying laptop screens ablaze with digits, surrounded by what looked like a table cloth of maps on the flat surface before them. The rest of the crew had found nooks and crannies to lie down in and seemed to be sleeping.

"What's going on?" she asked Finn as he led her over to their original jump seats.

"They are getting some shut-eye. Resting up before the ...."

"Oh" Emily looked around. Resting up because they did not know when they were going to get the chance to sleep again. A reminder this was not a routine mission. Emily resisted the urge to squeeze Finn's hand, not wanting him to know just how scared she was of what was about to happen. This was a temporary reprieve.

Finn was going to leave her.

Again.

It was all she could think about. Or rather not think about. When the sergeant had interrupted them, telling Finn time was up, Emily could not let him go. Something took over. Her body and heart were determined to get on this plane. Her brain kept trying to intervene, knocking away, shouting this was insane. She should not be here.

But Finn was here.

He put his arm around her and tucked her into him. Perhaps he was feeling the weight of the situation as well. Gazing up at him she noticed the dark circles under Finn's eyes.

"When was the last time you got some sleep?" she found herself asking.

He looked away guiltily. Reaching out her hand, gently grasping his chin, Emily brought him back to face her. "Finn?"

He sighed. "A couple of days..."

Days. Not since...

"Since the night of the party. The night you left me your note?"

Finn bobbed his head in a tiny, almost embarrassed movement.

Emily hugged him tighter. As she started to apologize again, he spoke first.

"I held out hope maybe you were delayed. Made up excuses for why you didn't call. Like your family needed you." He banged his head against the wall behind them. "It never occurred to me you didn't get the letter."

Emily felt hot tears prick at her eyes with the thought of him sitting there, hour upon hour, waiting for her, thinking she did not return his love.

"I didn't know what to do with myself. I couldn't eat, couldn't sleep. It felt like it did before...the last time." The arm around her tightened and Emily gladly nestled closer to him. "I had to do something or I was going to lose my mind. Then this assignment came up. I spent every moment possible - preparing. All to keep my thoughts away from...well you know."

"Finn, I'm so sorry. I don't know how it happened." She tried to explain. Walked through how it must have gotten mixed into her case folders, how she had felt during the week and had come in on Saturday just to spy on him. When she finished, he was silent. Did he not believe her?

Emily pulled away enough from Finn to look up at him. His eyes were closed. Sleeping.

He was peaceful. Beautiful. Suddenly he looked so young. The concern or responsibility or whatever emotion drove him normally colouring his face, his posture, his movements - had disappeared. The hard-line of his mouth gave way to soft lips she ached to kiss again.

That was a dangerous path. She had barely been able to stop herself moments ago. When Finn placed his hands on her every cell in her body awoke. Alive in ways she hadn't been in years. It felt amazing, like breathing fresh air. She wanted those rough hands to be everywhere, do everything. Followed by his lips. And more.

Emily blinked. Best not to follow those thoughts or she would be dragging Finn back into that aisle of boxes and having her way with him. Instead, she returned her head to his chest and enjoyed the simple pleasure of listening to his heart beat for a few hours.

At some point, she must have dozed as well. Finn was shaking her and softly calling her name. Opening her eyes, Emily sat up and looked around.

The room was a buzz of activity. Everyone was up and about and gathered around the table in the center of the space. It looked like a meeting of sorts.

"It's a sitrep," Finn informed her. "I need to ..." He looked down at his hands like he didn't want to admit something.

Calmly stretching her arms above her head and as nonchalantly as she could manage, Emily teased, "Well, you better get your butt in there before you miss something."

She didn't feel nonchalant. There was a queasiness in her stomach at the thought they were so close to this mission starting. But the look of relief and hint of a smile from Finn made the effort worth it.

Emily watched Finn wade into the crowd. Everyone turned towards him, giving their attention. And respect. Campbell stood at his side, a pillar of support and it made Emily feel better to know he was here. The bond between Campbell and Finn was obvious. Yet even his friend deferred to Finn, angling his body and listening with intent.

Whatever they were discussing, Finn was in control and everyone at the table was following him. He looked like a leader. Strong and confident. Emily felt a surge of awe. This was Captain Wainwright in his element and it showed.

Aside from the odd word here and there it was impossible to make out what the intent of the assignment was or how it was going to be achieved. Emily was not sure she wanted to know. It might make it all much worse when Finn left her on the ground.

Emily gripped the sides of the bench she was sitting on to stop the room from spinning at the thought of Finn going away. Leaving her alone on an army base to go off who knows where to do who knows what in some dangerous situation. For it was definitely a dangerous situation, the way the men and women at that table were acting. There was no doubt about it. The teasing and laughter had disappeared. Serious concentration etched their faces, meaning details mattered. Another wave of nausea hit Emily and she closed her eyes to try to keep from throwing up.

If only she had found the letter earlier or it had never been misplaced in the first place. Maybe all of this could have been avoided. They could be back in the United States. Going out to dinner or a movie and then back to her place. Or they just could have gone directly to her place and straight to her bed.

She pushed those thoughts aside. No use dwelling on what might have been. Reality needed to be faced and she had to get on board. Quick. Even if - no when Finn got through this undertaking, this was who Finn was now. Being in the military was part of his DNA.

Weeks ago, Emily had fantasized about what it would be like to live this life with him. She knew it was not all parades and dinners in crisp uniforms. Life with Finn would be full of times when his day job was going to take him away. What she needed to concentrate on now was giving him the confidence she could handle this. His full attention had to be on completing the task and returning to her. Safe and sound.

So, she took a deep breath, opened her eyes and released her grip on the seat. Setting her jaw, she willed herself to be calm, grasping the charm around her neck. The familiar form helped her heartbeat steady. She could do this. She had to do this.

They seemed to be breaking up the discussion, with a few of the crew peeling off to check equipment or repack their bags. Finn stayed behind to talk with a tall, thin woman in fatigues that actually fit her. Was this the type of woman Finn should be with? Not with a mild-mannered lawyer who had never left the country before.

Emily shook her head. That was crazy talk and she needed to stop it. Now. Finn was with her.

"What was the head shake for?" Finn inquired as he made his way back to her.

"Oh, you know, just trying to shake off the cobwebs and determine what time zone we're in."

"It's almost 10 am local time. We'll be landing in half an hour."

"Landing. Right. And where exactly are we landing?"

A flash of something crossed Finn's face. "Columbia. An army base in Bogota to be specific."

What did she know about Columbia? Her knowledge bank came up pretty empty. Most of the images she drew up were from 30 second sound bites on the nightly news and pop culture references. Those biased images painted America as the hero and Columbia full of cartels and cocaine. It was unfair but she didn't have much else to go on.

"Hey, don't worry." Finn's arm found her waist again as he sat down. "I plan to get you on the first plane out of here, to St. Lucia or Barbados."

"What?" The panic in her voice surprised her. Was he trying to get rid of her already?

"Really, it shouldn't be hard. There are always planes going that way." Finn took her hand, misunderstanding her concern." You can wait on a beach for me."

"No." She turned to look at him straight on. "I'm not leaving without you. I'll wait at the base."

"But Em, it will be much more...comfortable on an island. With all the basics of home."

So, he thought her weak. Could she blame him? Truth was her life was sheltered. She didn't have much life experience. But that was going to change. To be with him, it would need to. And Emily was up to the challenge.

"I don't want the comforts of home. I want you." She squeezed his hand. "To be as near to you as I can. Be here when you get back. Please don't send me away."

Finn's face fell at her words. Kissing her on the forehead, he whispered in her ear, "Never." He pulled back. "Of course, you can stay. I just want you to be comfortable and safe. And speaking of safe, let's get you back in this seatbelt so we can land."