Cold Weather, Hot Chocolate

Loving Each other

     Snow was blowing outside, coating the windows, trees and ground. It was a warm feeling, really. The Delta Unit hasn't had a break in a while. This was comforting.

     There was a movie playing in the background inside. Hope and Dásee were cuddled close on the couch in the rec room. Their relationship was no secret. They cared for each other but they made no effort to accept that they were dating. It was a silent agreement instead.

     In the kitchen, Khailen was baking… or trying to. The colonel was no baker, she was a hard woman who's used to having her hands soaked in blood. Either way, she was a try-hard, and even after burning the first three batches to a crisp, she was trying again.

     Carmon and Dakota were sitting on the ground in the rec room, minding their own business. Carmon was cursing in her native language, either from frustration or annoyance. Dakota was just laughing. They were trying to fix Carmon's sniper rifle, since in the last few missions, an enemy smashed it with a rock and broke it.

     It was a nice feeling. Relaxing. Peaceful, some would say. There was no violence around, no war… nothing. The Delta Unit finally has a moment to just stop and breathe. They needed it, really, after all they had been through.

     The door that led outside creaked open and their station chief, Raylene, walked in. It was Hope who looked up first. She couldn't really move since Dásee was laid a crossed her body. She smiled warmly though, her tone soft as she spoke.

     "Hey, Snow." She said, her hand gently rubbing a crossed Dásee's back.

     "Hey, you love birds." Raylene responded. "Where's Caesar?"

     "In the kitchen!" Dakota called out. A loud, German curse comes from Carmon and Dakota squeals.

     Raylene nodded, smiling at the interaction. She turned, wandering into the open kitchen before sitting at the island table. She watched Khailen for a moment, her eyes locking on the batter. She dipped her finger in before bringing it to her lips. Tasting the batter, she nearly gagged. She looked at the paper that sat to the side. A recipe.

     "Sugar cookies?" She said. Khailen turned, clothes covered in flour and batter.

     "Uh, yeah." The colonel responded.

     "You're missing the sugar." Raylene says.

     "You're joking-"

     "I'm not." Raylene tilts her head, a smirk plastered on her lips. "Have you ever tasted the batter before you threw it in the oven?"

     "No." Khailen responds sheepishly.

     "That's why. Move over."

     To her surprise, Raylene snatched a hair tie, pulling her dark red hair up into a high ponytail as she hopped off the stool she sat on. She walked around the corner, leaning past Khailen to grab the recipe. She then looked at the ingredients around her. She sighs.

     "Have you ever baked before?" She questioned, a hand on her hip as she stared up at Khailen.

     "Look, Snow, I'm a soldier. A trained killer. Do I look like a baker?" Khailen responds with a raised brow and crossed arms.

     "I'm gonna make you one." Raylene said in a playful tone.

     As a few hours went by, the smell of actual cookies filled the air. Hope and Dásee had moved to sit at the island, mugs of tea in their hands as they talked and laughed. Flour started to fly around the kitchen in a play fight between the colonel and the station chief.

     Soon enough, Carmon gave up on her gun and she stood, kicking the weapon away. She crossed her arms and wandered towards the others, upset and definitely grouchy. Dakota was next to her, laughing and playfully poking fun. Well, she was until Carmon started chasing her.

     The evening was light and soft. Interactions of laughter and games, both violent and gentle, were shared between the soldiers of the Delta Unit. It got even better when Oliver, Hope's adoptive father, walked on in with two rescues behind him. They were young kids. One had been here a while. Cielo, Dakota called her. Carmon had saved the girl with Dakota nearly 8 months ago, yet the child clung to Dakota and called her mother.

     The other was a skimpy thing. Raylene named him Lyme, but Khailen called him Lemon. The child had a form of vitiligo, which swirled around his skin. He had short brown hair and pale brown eyes. He was a cute thing.

     Although Lyme was a quiet child, he was insanely picky and had a bitter attitude, which is where his name came from. Sadly, even while looking perfectly healthy, bandages wrapped around his neck, wrists and legs loosely.

     See, the bomb that Dakota had made was dropped near his home, where the chemicals affected those in the area greatly. This resulted in the unnatural swirl in his skin, which had been chemically induced. There is not enough information to fix this yet.

     As Oliver stepped in the room more, Hope stood to greet him. She wandered over and hugged him warmly as the children moved about. Cielo ran up to Dakota, who snatched her up and spun her in a circle before propping the kid on her hip. Lyme hesitantly moved over to Khailen, rubbing sleep from his eyes before clinging to the woman's leg.

     Carmon stared at the child for a moment before looking at Raylene. She looked, as cold as always, eyes sharp, though her emotions remained well hidden. Raylene smiled softly, stepping infront of Carmon and taking her hands.

     "Relax, love. As far as we know, it doesn't hurt him." She said. Carmon looked back at the child.

     "Do you think the lotion would help?" Carmon asked, her voice quiet.

     "Do you want to try it?" Raylene responded. Carmon nodded.

     Raylene then whistled, motioning for Lyme to step over, in which the child did. Carmon crouched in front of him. Lyme didn't speak or move. Or show signs of fear for that matter. Carmon cracked a small smile.

     "I'm like you." She said, gently placing a cold hand on the kid's shoulder.

     He tilted his head, confusion coating his eyes. So Carmon reached up, pulling her mask down a little to show the scars for only him to see. He gasps, amazement almost instantly sparking in his mind. Carmon chuckled, pushing the mask back up.

     "Does it hurt?" She asked him, gesturing towards the marks. He shook his head. She nodded.

     "I wanna try something, ja?" She spoke softly, accidentally letting her German slip out.

     The child nodded and so she reached into her pocket, pulling out a tube of lotion. It was a specific lotion. Hope had made it two years ago when she originally met Carmon. It was made to cool the burning sensation she felt from the burns, but it mostly helped cover the burns to prevent infection from arising, since they never fully healed.

     She flipped the lid open, putting some of the lotion on her finger tips before taking the child's arm and rubbing the lotion in. It was a dark green color, mixed with a hue of blue. She rubbed it all in gently before pulling away.

     "Let's see how that works." She then stood and the child ran back over to Khailen, this time with a bright smile on his face.

     Carmon watched, closing the bottle and pocketing it. Raylene took her hand. Carmon squeezed back.

     "You're doing good, Carm." She said lightly.

     "Danke, Ray." Carmon replied, pulling Raylene's hand up, gently pressing it to her head. It was a common gesture in Carmon's life. A show of affection since kisses weren't typically applied.

     Raylene smiled brighter before pulling away. She wandered away, taking two cookies off of a cooling tray and handing them to the children. While Cielo gratefully accepted the sweet treat, Lyme, as expected, stuck his tongue out and turned away in disgust. This received many heartfelt laughs from those around.

     As the night drew on, the squad found themselves in the rec room, mugs of hot cocoa in hand, the children with tiny cups. Oliver, Hope and Dásee were on the couch, once again, Hope and Dásee were cuddling.

     Khailen was in a chair, paperwork in hand as she worked silently on it. Lyme was fast asleep, leaning against her legs while Cielo was asleep sprawled on the floor. Raylene and Carmon sat with their backs to the couch. Carmon had her arm around Raylene's shoulders and Raylene had her head rested against Carmon's chest, listening to her heart beating.

     "Was wird Ihrer Meinung nach passieren?" Carmon asked, accent sticking out.

     Raylene laughed lightly. "English, sweetheart." She said.

     "It was more of a question to myself than to you, Ray." Carmon responded, leaning her head back.

     Raylene hummed, closing her eyes for a moment. "Don't let the past chase you, Carm. It isn't worth it."

     "It is to me." She muttered back. Raylene looked up.

     "Memories will never fade. Your thoughts will never end." Her gaze softened. Raylene didn't understand what Carmon had gone through, but she's trying to. "No matter what happened, your fault or not, don't let it haunt you. I promise. You were just doing your job."

     Carmon watched her for a moment before she smiled. She picked a marshmallow from her mug of hot cocoa, playfully pushing it into Raylene's mouth to silence her.

     "Hush. You worry too much." She said, laughing lightly.

     Raylene turned away, giggling. Carmon hummed. Khailen smiled, looking at the two. She watched them for a moment before speaking, making sure her voice was quiet so as to not wake those who slept.

     "The holidays are coming up, yeah? Got any plans?" She asked. Raylene's eyes light up.

     "Ooh! We should have a team party!" She said.

     Khailen nodded. "That's smart. Who would we invite, though?"

     "Allies?" Carmon suggested. Raylene and Khailen nodded in agreement.

     "We'll see." Khailen said, looking back down at her work.

     The team was learning. Expanding. They were growing as a family. Romantically or platonically. They tried to understand each other, regardless of rank, title or past. They only looked at the future. They were going soft for each other and they were okay with it. Together, nothing could harm them. Right? Nothing.

     Cold weather, hot chocolate. That was the first step in this team bonding night. That's all they needed to grow. But will feelings become too much? How sensitive will the team become? Will it stop them? Sometimes, feelings are unnecessary for a job, and in this war, feelings are not needed. They are a weakness.

     And as Khailen looks up once again, looking over at her team and the two children they've taken in, she looks determined. She won't let this team fall. She won't. She refuses.

Her team is never just weak.