Brock was at the table eating, showed and dressed in clean clothes with wet hair when Jason returned to barracks. Odd, he didn't recall seeing Brock in the showers. Maybe he did need that nap.

"Feeling better?" Jason asked.

Better, but not right. Brock nodded anyway.

"You read this?" Sonny asked, waving a hand over the folder, fried leg of cold chicken in his fingers. "Pretty damned detailed."

"Glanced through it." Jason admitted. "Ride wasn't long. He's just off base. Airport hospital."

"Now, what do you think doesn't add up?" Trent asked. "Talk it out."

"Some desk jockey wants to go to a village market….. because he's a dick whose shit doesn't stink, he rates an escort from a SEAL."

"Chooses Clay, 'cause his ole man's a dick too."

"Dick gets back to base, our kid is missing."

"No one tells Jason."

"Everyone is too scared to tell Jason."

"So the kid is gone hours before we know it."

"And we waste a whole fucking night waiting for approval to go get him."

"They tied him to a table."

"They staked him in the sun for hours."

"Beat his feet."

"Flayed the skin off,"

"Sliced 'em to hell,"

"But didn't torture him further,"

"Because they were waiting for someone to come get him," Jason finished. "Jesus Christ, they fucking sold him."

"And didn't want him to escape."

"Had to deliver him all in one piece….nothing missing or broken."

"If he'd been taken by whoever was coming…bought him…..we'd never have gotten him back."

"Would never have seen him again."

"Or known what happened to him."

"All because he's blonde."

"So, we need to find what fucking religious sect wanted an American Soldier and was willing to pay a price high enough to get him pretty much unharmed."

***000***

"He looks so…..young." Mandy whispered. She sat with Lisa on the window seat across the room from Clay's bed. "Sixteen, maybe?" mop of hair nestled amongst white pillows, bangs damp from sweat, visible cheek flushed, yeah, he looked like a kid.

"So vulnerable." Lisa whispered back. "They're all so big and commanding in uniform, but stripped bare…."

"He needs a shave."

"He really would look sixteen."

"I've never seen him clean-shaven."

"Never knew men could have such long lashes."

"The guys okay?" Mandy opened a bag of M&M's and offered some to Lisa who held her hand out for Mandy to shake some into her palm.

"Chocolate?"

"I'm emotional."

"How much trouble are they in?"

Mandy was quiet. "You with them?"

"Always."

"Ever think you could get so attached to six men?"

"Team has twenty-one members." Lisa corrected.

"Six," she gave a gentle laugh. "That matter." She picked out red M&M's to eat first. "To me," she finished.

"Uh-huh. Don't let anyone hear you say that."

"The Commander had no right to override Jason's refusal to send Clay." Mandy said after a while. "Jason said no. It was a civilian outing and the outing went wrong and an American Soldier was taken. No one wants that to get out."

"So much about that so-called outing was wrong." Lisa agreed. "One escort? Almost think it was planned, a set-up."

"You'll hear some shit."

"Yeah." Lisa tilted her head when Clay stirred. He was facing them, still restricted to his left side. "Think they'll send him home for recovery?"

"Hard to say. See how the psyche evaluation goes."

A nurse was in every fifteen minutes on the dot. She changed the cool, soft cloth soaked in cool water on his back with a fresh one. Stuck a thermometer in his ear. He didn't like that. Shook his head and pulled away. Wrote on a chart and rehung the clipboard. Replaced the pitcher of water with a fresh one and departed. Once, when the bag feeding his IV had nearly dripped empty, she replaced it.

She smiled shyly at Mandy and Lisa, but never spoke.

"Taking good care of him." Lisa commented. "Can't believe I came here in my pajamas."

"I'm not wearing a bra." Mandy confessed with a giggle.

"That shirt's so big, no one will notice."

"Can you two…cackling hens…..get me some water?"

"Clay?" Lisa stood up and walked over to the bed. "Hey you, hi." Mandy stood up and slipped from the room.

"Hey." He sighed.

"How you feeling?"

"Eh."

Lisa poured water into a cup and stuck in a straw. "That good, huh. Here you go."

His tongue chased the straw until she used trapped it between two fingers and held it still. "Thanks." He huffed softly.

"Need anything?" Lisa set the cup aside when he refused anymore. "Anything I can do?"

"Help me roll over?"

"Other than that?"

"Time is it?"

"Going on 3 a.m." she pulled up a chair and sat down. "Been sleeping awhile."

"Remember some."

"They were sedating you."

"Not supposed to."

"They stopped." She said. "Jason had a fit. Cold? You can have a blanket."

He snorted. "I'm burning up." Jason?

"Fever. Pretty bad sunburn."

"Mmmm, the sun."

"Does that to a person, yeah." she agreed.

"Worst is….blisters will heal, I'll peel and not even get a suntan."

"Been there, huh?" Lisa could well believe as a kid, he'd been a towhead.

"What are you doing here?"

"Girls night out."

No, seriously, what are you doing here, Clay thought. His mind was still sludgy, he didn't recall what all had happened or in what proper order of events, but he knew he was in a hospital. And he knew wounded men were on their own when they were. Or, were supposed to be.

"Brock was here" he asked.

"Yeah, he had to go. They're confined to quarters." Lisa explained. "He came in on the chopper with you."

"He's hurt?" that revelation prompted action.

"Oh nononono!" she put a hand on his shoulder to still his attempts to sit up. "No, sorry, relax. He's fine. He just came in with you."

Clay frowned. "Why?"

"Well, because…..you know, I don't know."

"So, did I see Jason?"

Lisa chewed on her lip. Hmmmm, this could go one of two ways.

"You did." she admitted.

Clay closed his eyes, breath catching with wince.

"What's this about?" Mandy asked, crowding in next to Lisa to lean on the bed rails. "You feeling pain?"

"Jason." Lisa mouthed. Mandy nodded, understanding.

"How much trouble am I in?"

"You?" Mandy repeated surprised. "Trouble for what?"

Clay shrugged and grimaced when his skin pulled tight. He bit his lip with a groan, but couldn't stop the gasp. Sonofabitch! OW!

"Hey, none of that." Mandy scolded. "Need a nurse?"

"Why was Jason here?" he asked after he rode the wave pain out and could speak…..pant.

"He, uh, came for Brock." Mandy said. "The team's under arrest…..military arrest anyway."

Clay frowned. That didn't make any sense either. MP's would have retrieved Brock to put him under arrest.

"Why?"

Mandy and Lisa exchanged looks. Lisa shrugged. Mandy shrugged.

"They went after you." Mandy said. "When Dawson requested you as an escort to the village, Jason denied permission."

"What?"

"Permission had to be asked to be escorted by a SEAL six for a civilian mission. Jason didn't grant it. You were off limits."

"I didn't know."

"Jason should have told you." Lisa butted in.

"He should have." Mandy agreed. "But he didn't. That's on him. You did nothing wrong Clay. You obeyed Blackburn's Commander who ordered you to go."

"He knew Jason had said you couldn't go. You didn't. If you had, and then disobeyed Jason, well, you'd be on a flight home and off the team." Lisa said, offering him more water. He shook his head.

"Why?" Clay licked his lips, wishing maybe he hadn't refused the water.

"Why what?" Lisa offered again, holding the straw steady. This time he accepted the offer and drank.

"Why didn't he want me to go?"

"Not your job, you're the rookie, Dawson has a hard-on for your dad. It's Jason's job to protect you." Mandy shrugged. "Take your pick. They see you as theirs Clay, they aren't going to share you until they feel you're ready to be on missions without them."

"Huh?" what wasn't she saying?

"You're young, the youngest Jason has ever accepted on his team." Mandy adjusted the sheet. "That matters."

"Huh?"

Mandy sighed, locking her fingers together, still leaning on his bed rails. "Clay, you aren't expected to know everything about every town, village, city, country that you're sent to. That's my job. Jason's job is to assign you duties within your unit that you are best qualified for." she twisted a ring on her finger. "Those innocent 'markets' in villages in this area, such as the one you went to with Dawson are religious sects. Zealots."

He blinked at her.

"Blondes, Clay." Mandy said gently. "They kidnap and sell blondes. And you fetched a price so high, they were willing to take the risk. A blonde, American, Soldier."

"Anyway…you want this? Fruit juice I think." Lisa asked, breaking the somber moment. Yeah, no. It's sweet and flat and Brock had told him to swallow it. "No. okay." She sniffed the cup, took a sip, made a face. "Don't blame you. So, anyway, Dawson returned to base with his interpreter. Jason didn't know you'd gone to the market and they didn't tell him that you'd been taken."

"By the time they did, it was dark." Mandy took up the story. "Jason was furious,"

"Yeah, try livid."

"No talking him down then,"

"And then they told him he couldn't go after you."

"He was out of control by then. Even Ray gave up."

"Blackburn arrived….that's another long story…..took until dawn to get approval for the rescue mission, but Blackburn got it."

"But Dawson couldn't leave well enough alone, said it was more a recovery mission then rescue." Mandy shook her head. "Yeah, no holding Jason back after that snide comment."

Lisa giggled. "Knocked out the assholes tooth. One punch."

"Spun him around."

"Knocked him to the ground."

"Jason picked him by his tie."

"Threw him against the wall."

"Down on a desk."

"All up in his face."

"Didn't kill anyone though."

"Shot a few."

"Only in the legs."

"Priceless."

"You're giggling." Clay struggled to speak around a thick tongue. He was hot, his mouth was so dry he chewed cotton, and Navy women did not giggle.

"I'm emotional." Lisa quipped, Mandy giggled at the shared joke. "I'll cry I don't find humor."

Was he hurt that bad, Clay wondered? Must be, if Jason himself came to see him in the hospital. And the girls were giggling so they didn't cry.

"And Jason walked out. Guys fell in rank behind him and followed." Lisa shifted on the chair. It was not at all comfortable. "Jason took that village apart, destroyed the market, scattered the animals. No one would talk, the guys couldn't find you….." she could see Clay was fighting sleep. He could and would learn all later. "Trent and Brock cut you lose. Carried you to the chopper…..here we are."

"More to it." Clay murmured.

"Yeah, there is. We'll talk when you're feeling better."

"The team?" Clay was nauseated. The few sips of water threatening reappearance, "Everyone okay?"

"Tired is all." Mandy assured him. "I've seen them, they're good."

The nurse was back and Lisa and Mandy stepped out. They got curious looks while lingering in the hallway, but no one approached them. When they returned, Clay was on his belly, hugging a pillow, but still awake.

"Better now you rolled over?" Lisa asked. "You ok? Need anything?"

"Feel a little queasy. Gonna sleep a while."

Mandy offered Lisa more M&M's and they returned to the window seat.

***000***

Jason lay on his belly, hugging a pillow, headphones on, staring at the wall.

Sonny sat at the table, reading a magazine.

Brock slept.

Trent and Ray played cards on Ray's bunk.

Cerberus chewed on a bone.

A radio played classic rock songs, but otherwise the room was quiet. No one was talking.

The door opened and two MP's cleared the doorway of any threat – yeah, like there were any – then stood to either side for Admiral Brochin, Commander McCall and Lieutenant Commander Blackburn to enter. Eric stood slightly behind his two superiors and off to one side.

No one came to attention and the extended silence became thick. Jason finally removed his headphones, rolled off the bed and stood with his hands clasped behind his back. Ray joined him. Then Trent. Sonny shook Brock awake and they fell into line. The dog sat beside Jason and bared her teeth with a warning growl.

"Master Chief Hayes."

"Admiral." He inclined his head, the only show of respect he was willing to display.

"Disciplinary action against Bravo Team Six, one through five will be implemented starting today, at the time I vacate these barracks." The Admiral said. "The following members…." And he went on to mentation their names and rank. "….are hereby confined to quarters, for the full term of one month. You will be off grid with no outside communication, in this barrack for one week. Your families will be notified via email that you will be unavailable for the duration of your confinement. Meals will be provided. Medical if required. Any request to leave will be denied. This sentence is not open for negotiation. Good Day."

Silence. Sonny fidgeted. Trent shuffled his weight from foot to foot. Ray bit his tongue. A month? That was three weeks longer than they were supposed to be deployed in this hell hole. No outside communication? No Skype, no Face Time, not even a phone call.

"A request," Jason smirked. "Sir," He added with sarcasm after a pause.

The Admiral warred with unspoken thoughts, then finally nodded.

"Spencer." Jason dropped all manners of civility. "Here. With us."

"No." The Admiral said promptly. "He requires medical care, a psyche evaluation, debriefing."

"There are five of us." Jason said tersely, hands clenching into fists behind his back, but his posture remained relaxed. "We are capable of taking care of him."

Eric poked his Commander in his back, the movement so slight all but Jason, who was in the only position to see it, missed it.

"That can be arranged." McCall said. "And your men agree?"

Five 'yessir's.

"You know Hayes, you are one conceited son-of-a-bitch." The Admiral dropped Navy speak. "Down right cheeky bastard, aren't you? You just go about your way, ignoring orders, violating..." six grown men hunched shoulders and shuddered. "...rules, making your own. Demanding rights and favors you have no business being granted. Wounded men are not returned to their teams to be 'taken care' of. By all rights. Spencer should be removed from your command and reassigned."

"But that's not going to happen, is it?" Jason's voice had lowered, turned lethal. "For the same reason I'm not locked-up and relieved of command. Hell, you don't have the balls to even demote me."

"Hayes." McCall warned. "Blackburn, you claim you can control him. Do something."

But Eric remained quiet, curious to see how far Jason would take it and how far Brochin would let him.

"You have a hard-on for the kid's old man and you took it out on Clay. You let that prick from D.C. take him to a village with a market where blondes are kidnapped and sold and you knew that. You did. I told you no. But before I could tell Spenser, you had him assigned and on his way with only an interpreter and an MP. Which is bullshit, because he can understand the local language well enough. But maybe you didn't want anyone in that village talking. Is that it?"

"I would never knowingly endanger or arrange entrapment of an American Soldier."

"No?"

"Jason." Eric warned.

"You sent him." Jason repeated. "And you didn't tell me when shit hit the fan. You didn't tell me he was taken. You didn't approve a rescue until morning."

"Jason!" Eric said more harshly.

"And you and your men are not arrested, discharged, stripped of rank or disciplined." The Admiral snarled. "Confined to barracks is not a fit punishment for your disobedience and behavior."

Uh, confined without outside contact for an additional three weeks? Yeah, I think it is, Ray thought again. Though after a week, they would get some privileges back. And be allowed outside, if only within their fenced-in quarters.

Jason wasn't intimidated and he didn't back down. The Admiral finally did.

"You want him, when the doctor releases him, you've got him." And the Admiral pivoted and stalked out of the barrack, the MP's falling in behind.

Commander McCall sighed then offered his hand to Jason. "My apologies. I sent Blackburn off base because he objected to Dawson's request and I regret those actions led to what happened to Special Warfare Spenser."

"Commander McCall." Jason acknowledged, and shook his hand.

"I will attempt to gain permission for one of you to contact family before your term of internment commences. They can spread the word." McCall nodded to the rest of Bravo team and took his leave.

"You can control Jason?" Sonny snorted. "Since when?"

Eric had the grace to look abashed. He shook his head with a grin. "Had to promise McCall something." He gave Jason a look and an understanding passed between them. "You're sure you want Spenser here with you for a month?"

"Yessir." Trent said firmly.

Eric nodded. "Just do me a favor, will ya? When your sentence is over, behave. I want to go home and I can't go until you are all on board and off this soil."

"You can count on us!" Sonny sang cheerfully and mock saluted Eric.

***000***

And what happened?

Why, the very first day off punishment, they gathered with Clay, at a local bar frequented by other members of the armed services, for celebratory drinks. Lisa and Mandy joining them.

"Sit." Ray ordered Clay.

"Stay." Trent patted his shoulder.

"Here you go cupcake." Sonny joined Clay at the table. "One frozen Margarita for our snow flake."

Clay sighed. He was off all meds. Sleeping on his back. Eating normally. Wearing a shirt. Able to don shoes. Could walk with only a slight limp. And yet, he was still denied a cold beer.

"I'm good guys, really." He insisted, lip curling in distaste at the frilly umbrella in his girly drink.

"Not with us, you aren't."

"What'd I do?" he asked, perplexed.

"You got kidnapped."

"Nearly sold."

"Almost someone's bitch."

"But….but…." he sputtered. "That wasn't my fault!"

"Oh, you're not getting off with lame excuses."

"You're still getting a serious beat down."

"I didn't know." Clay protested. "I didn't know!"

"Outta do it now. He can't run."

"Didn't say we'd hurt you."

"Won't break any bones."

"Just a bruise. Maybe two."

"Dye his hair."

"Aw, fuck man, fucking Frogs."

"Just lookit those crew cuts."

"Gives 'em away every time."

"Hey Hayes!" yelled one of fucking Frogs.

"Heard you lost someone!"

"Yeah! Maybe you should keep your pet rookie on a leash."

And that's how the fight - all out brawl - started.

And the reason Lieutenant Commander Eric Blackburn was delayed getting home for another two weeks.

***END***

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