Davis knew that trying to talk to Sonny while on base would give them little to no privacy, nor would it benefit anyone if it didn't go well and they were both in a bad mood the rest of the day. She needed to get him alone, but that may not be as easy as it sounded. The last time they spoke to each other, not work related, Sonny was very clear about them only remaining professional until Davis left for Officer Candidate School, so a personal conversation may still be out of the question.

Since the base was off limits and getting Sonny to her apartment or her into his willingly may be too difficult, the bar was the safest option, Davis thought. Assuming she could get him alone for a few minutes, there would be enough privacy to talk and enough exposure to hopefully avoid any scene. Of course, the alcohol would help a little, too. Now, how to actually get him there?

Davis spent the rest of the afternoon thinking up ways to ask Sonny to meet with her, just to talk. She played out a dozen different scenarios in her head, each one ending with him walking away from her again, the way he had a few days ago. Even the ol' faithful 'Drinks are on me' wasn't going to work with him this time. She could be wrong, she thought, he may actually agree to meet her and finally talk this through, but she really didn't want to give him the opportunity to say 'no'.

She considered getting Clay involved, not giving him the full briefing, but just enough info to have him get Sonny to bar and then leave. It would be easy to pull off, he knew how close he Sonny and Davis were and how stubborn Sonny could be. If there was a problem between them Clay would be more than willing help get it resolved. This would work, no doubt, but it wasn't right to drag Clay into their mess, or to get Sonny to the bar under false pretenses. He was already convinced that she'd lied to him, it was probably best not to give more ammo in that department.

The workday was coming to an end and she needed to do something fast. This conversation needed to happen sooner rather than later. Just tell him the truth. Honesty is the best policy, right? After all, not being straight with him in the first place is what got them into this.

Davis pulled her phone from her back pocket as she climbed into her car. She stared at the black screen for several moments, still unsurewhat to actually say to him. The truth, she reminded herself. She unlocked the phone and clicked the 'ICE' icon on the home screen taking her directly to Sonny's info.

Luckily Davis had never been in a situation where her 'In Case of Emergency' contact needed to be used, but she did wonder who she would change it to if this didn't work out. Under normal circumstances, she and Sonny would be in the same general part of the world in case the other was needed, but with her at OCS and him operating full time, having your 'ICE' on the opposite side of the globedidn't make much sense. These little thoughts had come up a lot over the past few days, months even, ever since she found out she got her commission. How different everything would be without the guys in her life full time. They were the only family she had and leaving the team had been the most difficult decision she'd ever made. This thing with Sonny was only making it harder.

She began typing her message to Sonny. 'I miss my best friend. Bar, 2100.'

Davis quickly hit the send button and closed her phone. She didn't expect to get a reply. Sonny didn't really like to text, he was a talker,sometimes over the phone, but he preferred face-to-face. He was also the most loyal person she'd ever met, so she hoped her message would resonate with him and he'd show up tonight.

2100

Davis parked her SUV, checked herself in the sun visor mirror, then made her way to the entrance of The Bulkhead Bar, taking note that Sonny's bike wasn't anywhere to be seen in the lot. Once inside the doorway she scanned the room just to see if he had actually beaten her there, but only the few regulars were hanging around the bar and pool tables. David took a deep breath before heading to their usual seats at the back corner of the bar; she pulled out a stool and sat down to wait for Sonny.

"Can I get you something?" the bartender asked, placing a napkin down in front of Davis.

"Yeah. Japanese single malt, neat. Two, please." At least if Sonny showed up she knew she had a better chance of getting him to stay and talk if there was a small peace offering for him.

Davis checked the time on her phone, only five after nine. She decided not to start worrying yet, Sonny wasn't exactly known for his punctuality. Also, she knew they needed to hash this out now. Mandy finding out and insisting she fix the tension between them was the push she needed to make it happen. If they kept avoiding each other it would only make this conversation harder down the road. Or even worse, the conversation never occurs, and their friendship is over for good. Davis wasn't about to let that happen, they'd made it too far to waste it all. If push came to shove, she had keys to Sonny's apartment and if she had to show up and force him to talk to her she would.

The bartender returned and sat a glass down in front of Davis and one in front of the empty stool to her right. Davis stared at the vacant seat; the same seat Sonny had been sitting in just two weeks ago, when she's kissed him that first time. That kiss had taken her by surprise, just as much as him. She wanted to do it, of course, that whole night and the past few months since they almost kissed before Mexico, but she knew the rules and had no intention of breaking them. It just happened and she was powerless to stop it.

Sonny was pretty much a closed book when it came to relationships. She'd watched him casually date a few women over the years, but he always ended it before anything could get serious. After that kiss, she fully expected them to blame it on a drunken accident and they'd go on pretending that it never happened, but then he called her back for a second kiss. Even that whole bottle of Maker's they drank wasn't enough keep her from remembering every single detail of that kiss. It was quite literally a sobering moment for her. Thinking on it now, she could almost feel his lips on hers again, the heat radiating between them, the texture of his beard as she placed her fingers under his chin, urging him closer to her.

Davis was too lost in her own thoughts to notice Sonny walking up beside her. He watched her for a moment, wondering what had her so entranced that she was oblivious to her surroundings. As he spoke, he thought he saw a slight grin start to form on her lips. "That seat taken?" he asked.

She jerked her head up at the sound of his deep, Southern voice. She quickly collected herself, hopefully fast enough that she hadn't been caught daydreaming. "It's all yours," she replied, motioning her hand toward the barstool.

She couldn't help but notice that as he pulled the stool out, he also slid it a few inches further away from hers. 'That stings a little' she thought to herself but didn't blame him for wanting to keep some distance between them. She knew she'd hurt him by keeping her secret about OCS and it would take a lot to win back that trust, but she was prepared to work for it.

Sonny sat down and reached for the glass in front of him. "You bribing me with whiskey?"

"Is it working?" she asked.

"For now," he answered, staring into the caramel colored liquid. He still hadn't actually looked Davis in the eye and wasn't sure if he wanted to. He flashed back to the last time he'd looked right at her; in her kitchen that morning, she was wearing his hat and he couldn't believe how unbelievably lucky he felt in that moment. Then he remembered what happened next and it kicked him back into reality. He took a sip from the glass to help numb the memory

Davis fidgeted in her seat, trying to find the right words to say, but nothing seemed good enough. She started out simply, "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, you said that already." Sonny replied apathetically.

She turned towards him and place her hand on his forearm as he leaned on the bar. "And I'd say it a hundred more times if it would help. Whatever it takes to get you back."

Sonny let out a passive aggressive laugh, "Get me back? I ain't the one leavin'."

"I'm changing jobs, Sonny, not leaving forever.I know you're mad, but as my best friend… look at me...," she demanded. He slowly turned his head to look at for the first time. "… as my best friend I could really use your support on this."

Sonny let out a deep breath as he let her words sink in. She was right. He knew all of Bravo Team considered each other family, but he was her oldest and closest friend. "I know, but why didn't you tell me?"

"So many reasons. It was right after Alanadied and everyone was in a rough place. Then Adam… That night, here, before Mexico and I wasn't sure what I was feeling. I was scared. Scared of the change; with the job and us. Scared of failure; wondering if I was even good enough for OCS. Scared of you being disappointed in me for taking the 'cake eater' route. The more time that passed the harder and more complicated telling you became…Then we… " Davis' voice trailed off, she wastrying to read Sonny's face, gauge a reaction, but he wasn't giving her much to work with.

Davis tensed up as she felt him move his arm from under her hand; she was afraid that she was losing him and willingly pulled away. To her surprise, Sonny reached over and grabbed her hand, taking it into his own.

"I'm not disappointed," he said, barely audible.

She gave his hand a gentle squeeze, "Then what is it?"

Sonny knew how persistent Davis was and she wouldn't stop until she got a straight answer from him. He shrugged and shifted in his seat, "I didn't want to hold you back. You 'n me can't work with OCS, it could cost you your career. The thought of you leaving… It was easier to push you away now, than get hurt later."

Davis wasn't happy with his reasoning, but she understood it. He knew that her leaving was going to be hard on them both, so he ripped that band aid off early. She could go to OCS free and clear with nothing to get in her way. It was almost a sweet gesture, him putting her career before his happiness. "You didn't think I deserved a say in this… relationship?" She fumbled over that word, not sure what exactly to call it.

Sonny finished off the last of his drink before answering. "You do, but I won't let you ruin your shot at being an Officer for me."

"You're saying that we wouldn't have happened if I'd told you about OCS up front?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Sonny replied, matter-of-factly.

Davis pulled her hand from his quickly, "Then I stand by my decision of not telling you. I don't regret any of it, but I guess you do."

She got up from the bar stool, grabbed her purse and turned to leave. She needed to get out of there before Sonny could see the tears welling up in her eyes. If it were anyone else the anger would overpower the pain, but maybe she didn't mean as much to Sonny as he did to her.

"Don't go." He called for her, jumping up from his seat to catch Davis. He reached for her arm and turned her back towards him. "Lisa, don't go." He kept a loose hold of her arm, even though she wasn't pulling away; he wanted to keep her as near as possible. They stood there face-to-face, a little too close, and Sonny looked her directly in the eyes this time before continuing, "I don't regret anything. Just wish things were different."

"Me, too." Davis stared back at him, the tears slowly fading away as she realized what he was saying. That in a perfect world they would be together, they both all but admitted it, but here in their world, for now, just being in each other's presence was enough. "Still friends?"

Sonny smiled back at her, "Always," he said, almost playfully, breaking up some of the tension.

He gave light tug on Davis' arm, pulling her towards him, "come here." He wrapped both arms around her and held her close, engulfing her petite frame with his. Davis welcomed the hug from her best friend and circled his waist with her arms. "We're good," he whispered.

There was an undeniable bond between the pair that refused to be broken, even after these recent events. The transition from friends to lovers was easy, almost too easy. They fell into it naturally as if they'd been together all along. It would take a little time before things were back to normal between them, but the closeness they both felt with one another was just as strong as it had always been. Davis leaving Bravo Team might distance them, but they could find a way to make it all work; they did make it through one break-up relatively unscathed.

The pair settled back into their seats at the bar and spent the next half hour sipping on beers and enjoying each other's company, as they'd done many times over their decade-long friendship, but drinks and laughter were quickly interrupted as their cell phones chimed simultaneously. They read their texts and glanced towards each other, "Looks like Ms. Mandy got us green lit for this op," Sonny said, shoving his phone back into his pocket.

"Yep. You ready?" Davis replied, finishing her drink before having to leave.

Sonny swallowed the last sip of his beer, "For a swim? Never."

There was plenty of time ahead to work out the kinks in their friendship and hopefully after this recon mission to North Korea they could pick up where they left off. Sonny and Davis smiled at each other one last time then headed for the exit.

END.

AN: I played with the shows timeline a little here, so I hope it halfway fits and makes sense. I did this because, while watching Time To Shine, I thought that Davis' actions about Sonny were a little too normal in the begining. She smiled at Trent's joke about Sonny being afraid of water and told Blackburn 'Tell Bravo 3 to look out for sharks', it almost felt like they were back to the old Sonny and Davis and not the recently broken up version. Davis could have been acting, but it didn't seem necessary at the moment. Just my opinion, though. I also don't think we'll EVER get a make up or similatlr conversation on screen, so hopefully this is satisfying enough. I should have finished this story a long time ago, but I'm my own worst critic and this Savis conversation was so HARD for me to write. I hope you liked it.