Will pushed open the door to the bar, he had agreed to meet the guys for a drink that evening, but he had to talk himself into actually going. He had no interest in visiting with them or watching them be happy with their beautiful wives. He knew there would be some joking on his behalf about his time spent babysitting the supermodel, and he saw nothing to joke about.

The fact was that he had fallen hard, and he wanted Carmen just as much, if not more than he had before he had met her. She had to be one of the strongest women he knew to have survived her young life. His youth hadn't been the best but it had at least been stable compared to hers, he couldn't imagine what a life like hers would have done to him. She was also extremely stubborn, and he knew that there was no reasoning with her when she had sent him away.

She had made up her mind that he thought poorly of her, and there was nothing that he could say or do to relieve her of that thought, so he had left. He had left because he knew that she didn't need his baggage to carry along with her own.

But he hadn't walked away completely, he had worked with a vengeance on making sure that Xavier was no longer a threat in any way. He had managed to get his hands on all of the copies of the photos that he could and he had destroyed them, and he had promised to destroy Xavier if he ever tried to attempt to contact Carmen again. While he had handled the back end, Josh had taken care of dealing directly with Carmen, and Will had told him to keep his name out of it, which meant that as far as Carmen knew he had truly left that day she had asked him to.

He hadn't wanted to leave and he had to fight himself to keep away. He had never been so glad to return to California and active duty because it meant he no longer had the choice. There had been no problem passing his physical and he had sailed through the psych evaluation, but his desire to be a SEAL wasn't what it once was. He thought of Carmen most of the time the time, and when he wasn't thinking about her, or whatever job was at hand, he was giving serious consideration to retiring. Kellan and Josh had managed to find their way in civilian life and he figured he could as well. But at least while he was on the teams he had enough hard work to keep him from thinking too much about Carmen.

Will scanned the room and his gaze landed on Lee who was placing an order at the bar before he found the other five in their group, who had somehow managed to snag a corner booth. He moved through the crowd with his usual carless grin, while saying hi to a few familiar faces, until he reached Lee who had been watching him at the bar.

"Still know how to make an entrance, don't you?" Lee returned his grin with a smile and a slap on the back.

"They don't call me Rounder for nothing," was his quick reply.

The bartender, a pretty perky blond, asked for his order with a smile and a look that said she was interested if he was; he wasn't. Unfortunately, this was something that Lee noticed right away with a frown.

Will kept his smile plastered on his face as he turned back towards Lee.

"So, is it good to be back?" Lee asked, watching him closely.

"Sure," he replied.

"That's a lie and you know it Pruitt. You wanna tell me what's going on?"

Will was tight with all of his brothers on the Teams, but he and Lee had gone through training together, just as Kellan and Josh had, and it had formed a bond that he didn't share with anyone else on the Teams, including Josh and Kellan.

Will smiled at the bartender as she delivered his beer. "No," he said before taking a sip.

"Is this about Carmen Morales?"

Will appreciated that he used her name and didn't refer to her as the supermodel. He shook his head distracting Lee from the lie with his other dilemma. "I've been thinking about retiring."

Lee's drinks were delivered but he wasn't in any hurry to get them back to the table as he looked hard at Will. "So, this is about Carmen Morales."

"I didn't say that." Will's jaw hardened.

"You didn't have to. The only reason I would ever consider leaving the Teams or the Navy would be for Kate."

"Yeah, well you haven't been through the hell that I have, it tends to give you a different outlook on life."

"I don't doubt that, but up until this moment all you have talked about was going back into active service. The timing of this new idea of retirement hints at something other than a fear due to your being captured. I don't doubt that it is one of the reasons you're considering it, but something or someone has made you realize your limitations all of the sudden, and there is nothing like a woman to make a man doubt himself."

Will tried to lighten the suddenly serious mood. "That was a pretty longwinded speech for you Lee. How are you feeling, you're not going to pass out from lack of oxygen are you?"

Lee shook his head, his expression remaining steady. "Fine, play it your way for now, but I'm here if you need to talk brother."

Will turned away from him as he drained his beer and asked for a second one. This time when the bartender gave him his beer she slipped him her number, and he gave her a wink as he pocketed it; knowing he wouldn't call her. She didn't interest him, but he had to play the game.

Following Lee over to the table, he greeted everyone there. Josh was with his wife, Devon, Kellan was with his wife, Charlie, and Kate, Lee's wife, rounded out the party. He kissed all of the women and greeted Josh and Kellan with slaps on the back.

"I don't know how you manage to charm every girl you meet without even trying Will. I saw the bartender slip you her number." Kate laughed as he cuddled up to Lee.

"The day he meets one who doesn't fall for his charm is the day he's met his match." Kellan joked, but when his eyes met Will's he wasn't joking.

"I admit it, I'll enjoy the chase." Will tilted his beer at Kellan.

"Speaking of chasing, how did you make out with the supermodel?" Kellan asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Ohhh, was she pretty?" Kate asked, leaning forward to hear all of the details.

"She was stunning, but she couldn't hold a candle to you three, there is something about women in love, it makes them glow."

"We're not going to fall for your charming compliments Will, you won't distract us that way." Devon insisted as she reached for the drink that Lee pushed towards her.

"Well then, I've guess I've met my match, haven't I Kellan?"

The ladies giggled at the joke but the three men weren't falling for it. Josh had remained suspiciously silent through the entire conversation.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked as he rose from the booth, not giving Will a chance to say no.

Will winked at the ladies as he followed Josh out of the side door and into a quiet alley. He took a deep breath of the warm night air. He hadn't realized how stifling it had been in the bar.

"I thought I would let you know that Carmen is doing alright and she is back at work again. The Landau photoshoot is keeping her busy."

"Good, I'm glad that she didn't let the situation keep her from working." Will met Josh's eyes, waiting. He knew that wasn't why he separated him from the others.

"What happened between you two? There's something I'm missing, and as much as I've tried to get my answers from Carmen, she's not talking." Josh crossed his arms and made his stance wide just like he had when he was Will's Commanding Officer.

"Nothing happened between us Josh."

"That kiss I saw didn't look like nothing."

"Hey, she kissed me. There was an attraction there, I'll admit it, but I never mix business with pleasure-"

Josh snorted. "Since when?"

"Since you asked me not to. Nothing happened between us," Will insisted once more.

"Maybe it should have. The both of you have changed and it's not for the better. Maybe you should have had an affair and gotten her out of your system." Josh was done with the conversation as he turned to walk back towards the door.

Will followed him absentmindedly, thinking that there was no way a brief affair would ever get Carmen out of his system. She had dug her way in and she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.