The minute Jia got word that the team was back, she made her way to the base docks.
Practically speeding there, she pulls into the parking lot a few minutes to spare. Jia is almost vibrating, her entire body shaking in nerves and excitement.
She could see the carrier in the port but no sign of Reuben just yet. Waiting just against her car, her eyes peeled for any glimpse of her fiance.
But finally, she sees movement.
Phoenix comes around the corner first, smiling at Jia, nodding her head back behind her. Reuben steps around next, knowing Jia would be there to welcome him home.
The moment the couple sees each other, they both break off into sprints. Jia leaps into his arms as Reuben lifts her off the ground, arms wrapped around her waist. Once she moves her face from his neck, where she had buried it, Jia is quick to pull him into a searing kiss.
Mickey had just rounded the corner himself before promptly turning back around, nearly crashing into Hangman and Coyote.
"You do not want to go around that right now." He shuddered as he talked, unable to get the disturbing image of his best friends out of his mind.
Coyote looks at him strangely. "Why?"
Mickey looks him dead in the eyes. "Jia."
And that's all anyone needed to know. They may have just come back from pulling off the most impossible mission, but no one was brave enough to interrupt the happy couple. It took until Rooster and Maverick walked up to the group that Mickey peeked around the corner, hand over his eyes for safety.
"Is it safe for us to actually come out now?!"
Jia didn't even respond, too busy glaring at the man. Reuben put him and everyone else out of their misery. "Yes, Mick. You can come around now."
But Jia was feeling vindictive. As soon as she saw Mickey's hand lower, she grabbed onto Reuben's vest and pulled him in for another kiss.
Reuben, of course, responded because why wouldn't he? But he pulled away, laughing as Mickey groaned and fake gagged.
"I'm glad to see you too, but I ain't kissing you."
Disregarding his words, Jia pulled Mickey into a hug. She would always be glad that he was okay as well. Not just because that meant Reuben was okay, but because Mickey was a great friend.
"Thank you for having his back," she whispered into his ear. Mickey squeezed her just a little tighter. "Always."
As they pulled apart, Jia looked to the rest of the group. "Everyone else good? Still in one piece?"
The guys looked at each other before answering. "All good. Had some close calls, but we made it out."
Jia knew she wasn't allowed to know the details of the mission. She wasn't even in the Navy, much less anyone of high importance.
Gesturing for everyone to gather around, she had a very important question to ask. "Anybody hungry? I kinda went overboard and bought a shit ton of food."
Bob raised a questioning eyebrow at her. Jia could only shrug. "I stress cook. Some people stress bake, I stress cook. But I've got a wide variety of food back at the house."
Hangman laughs. "Hell, I can always eat."
He manages to break the ice for the others, who all quickly agree to come by after they get the chance to shower and change themselves.
☽☆☾ ☽☆☾ ☽☆☾
Reuben had managed to take a nice long shower and get dressed in comfortable clothes before the first person arrived. (Well, after Mickey, of course. But Mickey practically had a key at this point.)
Once everyone had arrived, making it the fullest house the couple had had since coming to North Island, Jia ran through her food.
"So we've got some barbecue, lasagna, mac and cheese, dumplings, and fried rice. And for dessert, we've got apple and pecan pie and cinnamon rolls. But there is ice cream in the freezer."
Bob was staring wide-eyed at all the food. "What exactly were you planning to do if we didn't come over?"
Jia looked up from her spot behind the counter. "I always find local shelters in the area to bring the food to. Like I said, I stress cook. So I often have a lot of extra food."
Hangman looks skeptical. "I'm not sure if you can beat my mama's barbecue, but I'll give it a shot."
Mickey had already made himself a plate, used to Jia's cooking. He knew the others were about to devour the food, and he wanted his before it was gone.
Once again, Jia continued to bring surprises. Her food was amazing, and no one could stop eating it.
"Okay," Hangman conceded. "Not as good as my mama's but damn close. She would be proud to eat this." He continued to shovel it into his mouth.
Jia only shook her head, happy to provide some sort of enjoyment for the crew that had just gone through hell.
Reuben walked towards her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder as their friends continued to eat like they were starved.
It was certainly not what they had pictured when Reuben had been recalled. But honestly? Jia was happy it hadn't been close.
She had made new friends and had so many new experiences that she wouldn't change for the world. There was no safety net to catch her when things fell apart or when things came together. But that's life.
After all, what was life without a little risk?
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Word count: 930
That's it!! The epilogue is left but this wraps up the movie portion of Safety Net!! I hope you all enjoyed the ride. Stay tuned for the epilogue and a few bonus chapters coming your way.
Bye guys!!!
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