Work Text:
Someday Had Come
Over the first several years that Clay was on Bravo, Jason would tell him he was training him to take over his position as Bravo 1 someday. Someday had come about 10 years ago. Clay hadn’t been able to picture Bravo without the men he had been drafted by 15 years ago, he had known that someday each of his team members would be replaced by other SEALs. The first ‘Someday’ had come just a year after Clay decided to stay on the team.
Clay knew he had made the right decision not to leave Bravo all those years ago to pursue a different career within the Navy or in politics. He realized he could directly affect the safety of this country by being the tip of the spear. He still had plans for the rest of his life after his time as Bravo 1, but if he had cut his time short with the teams, he knew he would have regretted it. He had a duty to protect the vulnerable and assault those who threatened them. The best way he could do that was to use his entire skill set as an operator.
As Clay pulled open the door to the Bulkhead, like he had countless times before, he smiled as he thought back to all those nights he and the guys of Bravo had hung out there. There had been a few changes to the bar over the years, but it had never stopped being the place for Navy guys to spend their down time in. The current Bravo 1 stopped in front of the pictures on the wall. So many, too many, had been added since Adam and Swanny. He felt tears sting his eyes as he swallowed the lump in his throat. As he turned towards the tables, Clay spotted Ray already holding a table for the ‘family.’
“I heard Cole has been earning his keep,” Ray said with a smirk as Clay sat down.
When the younger man didn’t answer, Ray kept talking, trying hard to suppress his smile.
“I know you may never tell me I was right for telling you that Cole was the best SEAL in Green Team for Bravo, but I know eventually you will accept him just like everyone else had to accept you. Don’t forget, I was the one who wanted you on Bravo.”
Clay let out a soft laugh, his mind taking him back to his first day with Bravo. He could have never dreamed what his life would be like by being with the team. He doesn’t want to think about what his life could have been like if Ray hadn’t pushed so hard for him.
“You were right Ray,” Clay conceded to Jason’s trusted number 2. “I should know that even though you are training Green Team, you are still looking out for me, just like on Bravo.”
Ray had been the first to leave the team. It had been a decision not made lightly. He didn’t realize how his daughter being scared he would die would impact his future. He knew many kids had parents that were at risk of dying while fighting for this country, but he knew that he could still make a difference by preparing the SEALs who would become Tier 1 operators. He had thanked Jason several times for benching him due to him lying about his shoulder because he had discovered he enjoyed teaching. It wasn’t the adrenalin rush, but it kept him safe. It had become easier over the years as his team eventually disbanded. He didn’t have as many men to worry about each time Bravo got spun up, as bad as that sounded. He hoped he could continue with Green Team til he decided to retire from the Navy.
Brock was the next to arrive, a young pup at his side. It was obvious the pup was a new ‘SEAL’ in training. Brock had a t-shirt from the organization he had started that matched retired or injured hair missiles with veterans. He had left Bravo and the Navy when Cerb was retired, not long after Ray. A dog had never affected him like Cerb did and trying to work with another, despite having done that multiple times through his years as a dog handler before Cerb, his heart was left shattered when his faithful companion wasn’t with him at work. While he still trains dogs for the military and for the police, his passion was his non- profit named after the beloved pooch. Cerb had helped train the new ‘recruits’ for several years until his body began to fail him. It absolutely crushed Brock when he had to make the decision to put Cerb down. In his head he knew it was the right thing to do, but it still left him broken. The guys had pulled Brock out of the bar many nights after Cerb first passed. A few weeks into his grief, all of the guys sat him down and had an ‘intervention’ of sorts. While all of them were hurting from Cerbs death, they couldn’t imagine the intensity in which Brock was suffering.
“Meet Typhon, a new addition to the Navy,” Brock stated as he led the pup over to the men. Clay lost himself in petting the surprisingly calm young dog. It really shouldn’t have been a surprise though because Brock was the best at what he does. It reminded Clay of the way Cerb would know when he needed him to be near. Clay had had a rough mission a few days ago and could have definitely used Cerb. Ray wasn’t offended when Typhon didn’t come his way, he had gotten used to it when Cerb would snuggle up to Clay.
“His name, where did it come from?” Ray asked as Clay was still lost in his own little world as his hands ruffled the dogs fur.
“Typhon was one of the deadliest creatures in Greek mythology, like Cerberus. While the story goes that Cerberus was the son of Typhon, I couldn’t resist using the name for Cerb’s grandson.” Both Ray and Clay smiled, chuckling at the name. Right now, the pup was putty in clay’s hands as he rubbed him, but one day, Typhon would be just as deadly as his grandfather, saving the lives of his human brothers. Since Brock was the one who sourced the pups for training, he often got to name them. He only used Greek names when he got the feeling that a pooch had the potential to be as great as Cerberus, if not better.
Sonny sauntered in with his cowboy hat pulled low and toothpick on his lips. He didn’t move with the ease he once did, none of them did, not even Clay, but no one would bring it up, especially not to Sonny.
He hated being reminded by the injury that eventually forced him to leave Bravo. Sonny had taken the brunt of an RPG while in whatever hell-forsaken country they had been in at the time. The structure he had been clearing fell in on him, almost breaking his neck and lower spine. Clay had never seen the fear Sonny had in his eyes when he couldn’t feel his legs. Clay would have given anything to have Trent as their medic at the time because he could calm Sonny when he was hurt. It had been Trent by his side in the makeshift infirmary on the sub when Sonny almost lost his life. Well it actually had but they had gotten him back. It was Trent that helped him through the first few hours after being revived. The other team members were far too emotional, but Trent was steadying, someone Sonny could hold onto to help ground him. Trent could conceal the pain of what he had felt just moments before unlike the others even though Sonny knew the medic still felt like Jason, Clay and Ray. At least he didn’t look into Trents eyes and feel guilty for what he made them go through, his fault or not. As a medic, it was Trent’s job. Sonny was glad Trent could busy himself with the medical details yet stay close to him, neither of them needing to talk to convey their thoughts.
Sonny was able to battle back at the time of the RPG explosion through physical therapy for pinched nerves in his spine and hips, but just over a year later, the wear and tear to his body finally caught up to him. The reason he had stayed on the team even after the explosion was to be there to help protect Clay, but he realized he would be a liability if he continued to deploy. Clay already knew what Sonny had wanted to talk to Clay about even before Sonny got to his place the night Sonny decided to leave Bravo. Clay didn’t want his best friend and brother to have to admit his body was failing him, the body he had spent years and years working to perfect for his role as a Tier One Operator so when Sonny walked through the door, slower than usual, Clay embraced him in a hug telling him he would be okay. Clay told him he would miss him more than anyone else, but reminded the older Texan that there was a time when there was an arrogant, cocky little shit of a rookie who a gruff, older team member never thought could ever have his back like the others. Clay said that the newer guys had proven themselves, just like he had, and Clay knew his team would always have his 6. He didn’t add that he’d always rather it be Sonny because he knew the man he now hugged couldn’t sustain action any longer and Clay didn’t want him to feel any guilt regarding this decision.
Trent’s departure had come right after the RPG explosion. He never spun up again. Blackburn had felt it coming as he, himself, neared retirement. The medic had told Eric that he just couldn’t handle being the one who had to patch everyone up hoping he had done enough to keep them alive til he handed them off. He had been able to detach himself for most of his years in the military, separate the person from the injury. He was the calm in the storm. However, as years went by he realized he was getting more emotional each time a team member got hurt, especially when it was Jason, Sonny, Clay, Ray or Brock. Even though some of them got out before he did, the past still haunted him. When he didn’t know whether to move Sonny or not that disastrous mission, near misses like on the sub and in Manila filled his thoughts, not what he should medically consider. His hands shook as he placed a C collar on his trembling team mate, both of them afraid that Sonny may never walk again.
Looking back, it had all been Clay’s fault, even though Trent had never blamed the once ‘Rookie’ of Bravo. All of the current members of Bravo when Clay was drafted had families. Trent had his mom, Ray had Naima and his kids, Brock had his twin sister, Sonny had three sisters and several nieces and nephews, Jason had Emma and Mikey and even though he and Alana were getting divorced, he still had her in a way until she passed. Clay had no one. He had absolutely no one. His mom abandoned him, his dad sent him away, his grandparents had died, his only friend in Green Team had been killed in a training accident, he was single and had no kids. They had never had a teammate that was so young or so alone, or one that didn’t realize that the team was his family and he didn’t need to prove his worth. They all acted like his older protective brothers, aside from Jason, who had taken on ore of a fatherly role with Clay. Clay had dreamt about being team a DEVGRU team leader since he was young enough to believe his dad was a superhero. When he met Jason, his dream was renewed with a different ‘father’ that would help him achieve his goals, not abandon him.
Manila had shaken Trent to the point he almost left the team, but if he hadn’t been there, would a new medic have been able to save Clay? What about future missions if the team deployed without him? It wasn’t that Trent was a narcissist, he was far from it, but he didn’t want his friends dying if he could save them. Eventually the weight of it all became too heavy and he needed to get out before he drove himself to unhealthy habits to deal with the pressure. He had seen Brock fall apart after Cerb and he didn’t want to put his brothers through the worry that the dog handler had with his drinking.
When Trent walked in the door next, his hair more gray than pepper, had his packback over his shoulder. Despite no longer requiring his medic bag, he continued to take it everywhere he went. Never know when a bar fight might get out of hand or their ‘Kid’ had a few wounds he wanted Trent to look at after a mission. Brock stood to give his best friend a hug. It had been a few weeks since he had seen him.
“How’s the new job going?” Clay asked Trent.
“Going good, traveling a lot, been working on a new show that debuts this fall. I even got Jason to help out with this project. I know he wasn’t satisfied with being a security consultant so when this script came up, I convinced him to at least come to set. Pretty sure he will be directing it one day! He’s like he was as Bravo 1, every little detail has to be right. Never thought I’d see him enjoy any other job except team leader. It’s focused on the military, that’s all I can say about it.
All of those at the table gave Trent a quizzical look wondering how he ever got Jason to work on a new series that revolved around anything even remotely to do the military. Most of them never watched anything that dealt with what they have done as operators. They get hypercritical if they do, but none of them will admit that most movies and shows include servicemen and women dying in action and it’s not something they want to relive, even if it is fiction.
“We can ask him about it now,” Ray claimed as he watched his best friend walk through the door. His presence was still intimidating, his stature still large and looming, but his intensity had softened and he had learned how to be a civilian again, or at least better than he had been while operating. They all noticed as Jason slowly lowered himself into the second to last empty chair.
“Ask me what?”
“How did Trent convince you to work with him on a new series which obviously has to do with the armed forces.”
“Simple, he told me how important it was to him that they get the production and acting right in this project, he said I could help him accomplish that, a brother called in need and I went,” Jason answered as if the answer had really been that simple. Maybe it had been. Jason had changed a lot over the last decade. The longer he was out of the teams, the better he slept at night. The better he slept at night, the greater he felt during the day. The greater he felt during the day, the more he could accomplish. The more he could accomplish, the more self satisfied he became. He felt like he had a purpose other than being Bravo 1, especially now as none of them missed the spark in his eyes when he mentioned working with Trent.
“You know, if any of you want to help out or even want to give acting a shot, the producers are open to it. We have a couple veterans in the cast with little to no acting background. We want this show to be authentic, as authentic as it can be. I can give you their contact info if you want to talk with them,” Trent offered, hoping more of his friends would take him up on his offer. He thought about how great it would be for his entire team to be back together again, even if the ‘operating’ was staged. At least he could dream!
Jason shifting uncomfortably in his chair snapped Trent out of his thoughts. Jason didn’t miss his look of concern, but it diminished as Jason found a comfortable position. Jason had hurt his hip again not long after Ray left. He had surgery and did rehab expecting to get back to where he was because that’s what had happened the previous time he had hurt it, except it never went that way. He healed enough to be cleared medically, but he wasn’t at the top of his game. Getting out would have been a much easier decision had Ray not left already. Jason had no doubt that Clay would surpass any other team leader in their success, but he wasn’t sure if he was ready at the time. Jason always thought Ray would be there to be Bravo 1 when Jason left, at least for a bit, and then it would be Ray who handed over Bravo 1 to Clay.
Jason made Clay Bravo 2 when Ray left, but he realized he should have never thought Clay wasn’t ready yet to be Bravo 1. Bravo had been caught up in a firefight between two different sides warring with each other, much like the Halani brothers, but the difference was that Bravo was in the crosshairs too. Jason took two rounds to his chest plate forcing him backwards, landing in a heap after knocking his head against the wall. The next thing he knew, he woke up back on base in the makeshift infirmary on the tiny FOB. When he regained his senses, he rolled over and saw Clay on the gurney next to him, bandaging covered his entire right side of his chest down to where the thin blanket covered his lower half. It was Sonny who told Jason what happened as Sonny had been sitting in the room at the time. What Clay had done to get the entire team to safety took ingenuity, creativity and a huge set of balls. Clay had a through and through in his right shoulder/peck just under the clavicle. He hadn’t needed surgery thankfully. Sonny said that Clay used every last drop of strength even after being hit to get them out of there that the blonde had passed out after he was stitched up, several hours ago. That meant Jason had been out at least that long. Sonny also told Jason that Blackburn had already started the paperwork for a Silver Star. He already had been awarded one and Jason knew this wouldn’t be his last one either. That’s what really scared Jason about Clay being Bravo 1. He would sacrifice himself for others. All of the men would sacrifice themselves for their brothers, but Clay was a true believer. That was one of the reasons Jason wasn’t sure about drafting him. Now, he can’t imagine what Bravo would have been like without Clay.
“We could recreate the op when our rookie fell through the floor, I remember Ray saying ‘A dude went down the hole,’ when Clay had company,” Sonny joked, despite being the one who was most upset about the cake eaters wanting to leave the Kid and finish the mission.
“Or what about when Clay left his radio to draw the enemy off our position? Man, were the higher ups pissed!” Brock exclaimed, a huge grin on his face directed to the youngest at the table.
“Trent, we should tell them to work in a scene where they about strangle their strap who left his spot in the tunnel,” Jason smirked, knowing full and well that Clay had saved their asses when he was the terp before he was actually drafted. As mad as Jason had been that Clay had killed the HVT, Ray was able to reason with his Boss. Jason understood that most SEALs would have done the same things Clay had done. That mission made Jason even more conflicted with his decision on who to draft from Green Team.
“They could do a whole series just off the stupid stuff you’ve done, Clay,” Ray added, the 5 of them now laughing at the last remaining team member on Bravo.
Clay just smiled, feeling the weight of his last mission ease off his shoulders a bit. Being around these brothers helped to ground him.
“Then the second season could be all about Sonny and his fears, might need a season 3 for that, too,” Clay joked back.
“Now listen here you young un’, all of my so called fears are real possibilities. We aren’t the top of the food chain to sharks. We could be killed by a snake bite. How about spiders? You know which ones won’t hurt us?” Sonny challenged Clay in his distinct Texas drawl, still with a hint of humor.
“Trent, that’s another one. Saudi Arabia. It could be Indiana Jones of Arabia!” Clay couldn’t help but laugh at his own suggestion. Neither could the other guys when they all thought back to how relatable that movie was to their own circumstance. Years ago, they had all watched it together when they found out Clay had never seen it.
“You know what else? A Texan who doesn’t like horses. What did you call them? Quadrapets?” Brock tossed out in their conversation.
“You should incorporate the SPIE system, that would make for an entertaining episode,” Ray added despite him being the one they needed to rescue in that mission.
“It’s a drama, we can’t just have all the funny and cool stuff,” Trent informed them. Each man knew that despite the jokes, all of those missions almost ended in disaster.
“How about the sub?” Sonny mentioned after a few moments of silence by the group. “That would make for a great drama. SEAL dies in the water just inches from his team,” he finished, looking away from his brothers as the memory from that mission crept up into the forefront of his mind.
“Manila. Enough said,” Clay stated quietly, trying to take the focus off Sonny as the Texan tried to recollect his emotions. That was just one of the many reasons Clay was his best friend. The two could joke, pull pranks and argue just like brothers, but Clay always knew when to stop or step in to save Sonny any embarrassment regarding his ‘feels’ as Sonny puts it. None of the men would have judged Sonny for the tears that had sprung up talking about the sub, but Clay knew Sonny would be bothered by his feeling that he had been weak in front of his brothers.
“The producer had asked me for ideas early on in the process, scenarios I had been in without giving away anything I shouldn’t. The sub and Manila were my first two ideas, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized how I didn’t want to go through either of those situations again, even if it’s not real this time.” No one spoke after Trent. They were all reflecting on what their part had been during those specific missions and what their two teammates had been through.
“I know I couldn’t,” Jason stated, looking down at his hands while he shifted in his chair again trying to relive the pressure from his hip.
Ray checked his watch hoping the last man showed up before he had to leave to catch Jameelah before she headed back to college a few hours away.
As if on cue, Commander Blackburn strode to the table.
“Sorry men, tied up at work,” he apologized. Jason slid him a beer from the bucket they had gotten. None of them knew any leaders who were close to their team the way Eric had become with Bravo. It was exactly what the Navy didn’t want to happen. However, the soon to be retired commander knew that his relationship with these men is what led to the success they had when they were all together on Bravo. Despite Clay and him still working together, the two continued to have a close relationship.
“What did the Kid do now that you need to smooth over?” Sonny asked, the playfulness back in his tone.
“Why do you think it has to do with me? I’m not as defiant as Jason was,” Clay argued, but then heard Eric snort as he tried to contain his laughter.
“What?! Tell them I’m not,” Clay begged of his commander, clearly thinking he didn’t push the boundaries like his former team leader had.
“You know, I really didn’t think there could be any more rules left to bend that Jason hadn’t already tried, but you showed me there were still plenty,” Eric chuckled again before he took a long draw from his beer.
“At least tell them this time you weren’t at work late because of me,” Clay asked with pleading eyes. When Eric couldn’t, Clay slumped back in his chair. Crap! It was because of him.
“Perk up there buttercup, it’s not the first time it’s happened and it won’t be the last,” Sonny teased, which resulted in a half smile from Clay.
“Well whatever he did, I’m sure it would make a great episode for your series,” Ray directed at Trent. “I’m sure it’s entertaining.”
As Clay looked around at all the faces of the men who took him in as part of their family when he joined Bravo, he knew someday they all wouldn’t be around to gather here like they had been for so many years. He was surprised that someday happened come yet, but he knew it was always right around the corner. Who would be the first they’d have to say goodbye too? Who would be the last man, the one who didn’t have any of his brothers left to say goodbye to him? Like Ray always said, when it’s your time, it’s your time.