Page 318 of Every Almost

But it didn't.

"Hi," Charlie said.

Reyna's face softened.

"Hi."

Charlie looked at her. "I love you."

Charlie said it quickly, in the light of the morning, with no emergencies or interruptions, her hair a disaster and her voice not fully working yet. She said it now, in this moment, because after a lifetime of not saying something important until it was too late, she was done being late.

Reyna went very still. Then she brought a hand up and put it against the side of Charlie's face.

"I love you, too," Reyna said softly.

They stayed there a while longer than they should have. But it was Reyna who finally broke the spell, Captain duty and all, and got them moving. They dressed, only stopping a handful of times to kiss and touch and take pieces of clothing back off before trying again. But it was good. In fact, it was better than good.

"I have to tell you something," Reyna said quietly as she placed her Captain's pin on her uniform. She looked up at Charlie.

"Okay," Charlie said. Her stomach didn't like the tone of Reyna's voice.

"I had a call with the Admiral before the Palu rescue mission." Reyna's voice was even, but Charlie had started to learn to hear the effort. "The Coalition has denied your appointment. Officially."

Charlie stood there and let that sink in.

"There was an objection filed on my appointment," Reyna continued. "And the decision came down." Reyna stopped and turned to Charlie. "There was an instruction that came with it. That you are to be removed from the Emberkind and returned to Coalition custody."

Removed.

Taken off this ship, taken away from the one place in the universe that was hers now.

"No," Charlie said.

Reyna's eyebrow moved. "No?"

"No, I'm not going."

Charlie heard how it sounded as a woman with no rank and no vote and no say, but she didn't care. "I don't know how these things work exactly, and I don't have the first idea on how to fight it, but I'm telling you right now," Charlie walked to stand in front of Reyna directly. "I'm not going. They can come and get me. They'll have to."

For a second, Reyna just looked at her before her face settled, warm and certain. Charlie realized she'd said exactly the right thing without trying to.

"I'm not taking it for an answer," Reyna said, raising her hand to cup Charlie's face again. Her thumb moved once along Charlie's jaw. "It'll get fixed. I promise."

Charlie searched her face and heard the flat, immovable certainty of Reyna, and it settled her.

"Okay," Charlie said. "I believe you."

"You should." Reyna leaned forward and kissed her once. "Now, let's go. Borran will have heard by now that you didn't sleep in your quarters, and I am not walking into that galley without you."

REYNA

They walked into the galley holding hands.

Reyna had thought about whether or not to do so.

For about four seconds.

Then she'd taken Charlie's hand in the corridor and not let go.