"How are you doing?" Becky asked over the headset as I sat staring out of the helicopter's windows over the English countryside.
"Doing fine," I replied, feeling anything but actually. The fear I'd discovered of flying I'd discovered in myself had indeed eased, but I still wasn't comfortable with the whole chopper/airplane travel idea; not very comfortable at all. Still, having my hand held by a pretty redhead certainly made the whole flying experience that bit more enjoyable.
"Really?" she said, and even through the metallic sounding headset I could hear her amused disbelief. I turned away from the window to see her smiling at me, her eyes sympathetic, tinted with a hint of happiness.
"Yeah, I'm fine. "I told her with a reassuring smile, "Not great mind you, but good enough right now."
"Fair enough," she replied squeezing my knuckles, "shouldn't be long now really. Look, you can see London over there."
I looked out into the distance, following her finger towards the dark smudge on the horizon, the familiar buildings popping up as a hint at that famous skyline.
"What a shame, I've been enjoying our trip so much," I joked getting a playful bump from her as she leaned back across me and into her own seat.
"You can be a sarcastic cow sometimes, you know that?" she said with a grin, "I have no idea why I love you!"
I was more than pleased to hear the playful note in her voice, it had been a shit time for her and, despite her efforts, this was the first time I'd felt that she meant it and I was determined to play along.
"Probably the same reasons that everyone else loves me," I joked trying to relax again; "my charm, personality, devastating wit and firm muscles."
"Well, one out of three isn't bad," she replied, her voice now clear over the headphones, despite the din from the rotors. "I can't complain about the muscles, not sure about the rest though, especially the charm part."
"Your mother thinks I'm charming," I retorted as her hand covered mine and squeezed, her thumb idly stroking leeching away the tension, "your mother thinks I'm pretty awesome actually."
"Well," she said with a snort, "maybe you should start dating my mother then... if she can see all these great things in you."
"Well," I replied feigning thoughtfulness, "she is attractive, and of course very rich. Maybe you're right, Bec, if you're not interested in me anymore, perhaps I should see if Jenna is interested, after all she is a bit of a MILF."
"Ugh, Freen, did you really have to?" she said with a disgusted look and a slap on my hand that was still clenching the armrest. "Jesus, babe, that's just a couple of steps over the line."
"Really?" I said feigning surprise, "I was actually being serious, you know your mother really is an attractive woman?"
"and I guess I'm a wrinkled old prune that's not worthy of your attentions?"
"I never said that, love," I told her, letting go my death grip on the arrest and wrapping my arm around her shoulders, finding the position a lot more comforting. "Besides, you started this remember."
"You're still a cow, Sarocha," she told me, "and I still don't like you" she added, though the way she relaxed into my embrace told me she didn't mean it.
"Yeah well, I like you enough for the both of us," I said, pulling her close and kissing her head, taking care to avoid the headset.
"Guess we're ok then," she said snuggling into me, "for now at least. Wait until mum hears what you called her though, she'll kick your ass."
"Like I said," I sniffed unconcernedly, "your mum loves me. I think I'll be ok, more than ok probably."
"Shush, Freen," she said pointedly resting her head on my shoulder, "just shush now, ok?"
"Yes Ma'am," I agreed, shushing up as ordered and listening to the sound of the rotors; trying to think about the girl at my side, and ignore the memories that had been trying to push their way out to ruin the journey once again.
"Freenky?" Becky said finally, as we flew over the sprawling mass of buildings that signaled that the journey was about to come to an end, "when we get back, do you still want to go on holiday with me?"
"No," I told her causing her to sit up and look at me. "Not as your treat anyway. I know you said you were going to sort it, but I want to pay for myself, I'm not exactly poor now, you know."
It was true, my short time at Secure365 had been good to me financially speaking. I'd not paid rent on anywhere I'd lived, moving from the company's apartment straight into Becky's flat,and nearly all of my other incidental expenses had been covered either by the company or by my fairly respectable salary. Even my debts were wiped clean; winning the competition had given me the ability to get people off my back, with a little bit of help from Becky's financial advisor.
So I was in pretty good shape right now, and I knew that I was more than capable of paying my own way, depending on where she had plans to go.
"We'll see," she said noncommittally, "I'm going to at least pay up front, babe, I can't make it a surprise if I have to tell you all about it."
I grinned at her fake pout and decided to let it go, if it meant that much to her to give me a surprise destination I could afford to let her have it... after all, we could argue cost later.
"I take it that means I still don't get a say in where we're going?" I teased, knowing full well the answer.
"Oh of course you do, darling," she replied holding my hand tightly as we felt the helicopter drop towards its final destination, "you can have a say in whether you like it or not after we've arrived."
"Fair enough," I conceded, tapping her on the shoulder until she leant back into me. "Make sure it's somewhere nice, and safe," I added.
"Not somewhere warm then?"
"I think I've seen plenty of warm places, Bec," I told her with a rueful grin, "and judging by that schedule of yours, we're going to be seeing a few more over the next few days."
"Don't remind me," she groaned, "and it all starts this afternoon."
"Change of plan?" I asked her, "I thought you said that your first meeting was on Friday."
"It's not," she confirmed, telling me that I wasn't totally crazy, "but we're going to have to go back into the office so I can get ready for tomorrow. It's going to be a crazy week, babe. I've asked Bonnie to arrange the MOD meeting for first thing tomorrow morning, then we're flying out to Dallas."
"Don't remind me," I mimicked, groaning in the same way that she had moments earlier.
"You'll be fine, baby, you're badass remember?"
"You said it Miss Armstrong, totally badass me."
"Just not in the air?"
"Nope," I said with a sigh, "I guess not in the air."
-----
Thankfully, my ordeal was over quite quickly, the chopper descending into the riverside heliport at what felt like an alarming rate. Twelve months ago, I'd have whooped with delight at a drop like this, dropping out of the sky into a forward base, popping flares just in case the Taliban werenearby with ground to air missiles. It didn't happen often, but you never took risks in my unit, especially when the package had ginger hair and a close relationship to Royalty.
Waiting for us at the heliport with a happy smile and an armful of papers was Bonnie, efficiency incarnate. Within moments, we were through the building and in the waiting car. I sat up front with a grinning Darren as we navigated the South Bank on our way to the office.
"What's got you so amused?" I asked as we drove along, Becky getting a full set of updates from her Executive Assistant.
"Your face when you got in," Darren said ignoring my frown, "the color of boiled shite you were; rough flight?"
"You could say that," I said shortly, trying to ignore it as his grin broadened.
"I heard you didn't like flying, never would have guessed it myself; funny really."
"What is?" I snapped as we pulled up at a red light, finally sick of the comments. It seemed like every fucker in the country wanted to take the piss out of my fear of flying and I had had my fill of them; poor old Darren was about to feel my anger if he pushed me any further. Unfortunately, as nice as he was, he wasn't too bright.
"Oh yeah, it's fucking hilarious isn't it? Freen Sarocha is scared of flying," I started my voice as cold as ice. "Let me tell you something, my experiences of flying aren't the same as your little jollies to fucking Ibiza or the Costa Del fucking Sol. Let me tell you something... Daz...my last three times in the fucking sky haven't been a fucking joyride because they remind me of shit you cannot fucking imagine. Before I met you lot, the last ride I had in a fucking helicopter I was doped up on morphine and strapped down to the floor on a fucking stretcher with three bullet wounds in my body. The nurses in the hospital ward I woke up in told me that I nearly didn't make it, and my last memory of that fucking flight is of being in absolute agony. I nearly died on that fucking chopper, so excuse me if I have some unresolved issues with them."
There was a silence in the car that was filled by the beeping of horns from behind us. "Green light," I said jabbing my finger towards the windscreen, "better get a move on hadn't you?"
"Freenky?" Becky said from the back, her hand reaching forward to rest on my arm, "You ok up there?"
"Fine," I said sitting back and allowing my pulse rate to drop as I breathed as calmly as I could, searching for my safe place in the midst of the chaos that my mind had descended into.
"You're not sounding fine, babe, you're sounding anything but fine," she pressed, her hand gripping me tightly.
"I'll be fine then," I replied my eyes scanning the traffic for danger as usual, "just as long as everyone stops taking cheap shots about me and flying."
"Won't say another word, Miss Sarocha," Darren said, his eyes fixed on the road avoiding mine as I looked across at him. "Sorry."
"Yeah, me too," I said not really feeling apologetic but knowing it was expected. "Let's just move on, ok?"
We didn't speak again until we got to the office, Bonnie and Becky chatting away in the back. From the looks that Darren kept giving them in his rear view mirror, his head straining to change the angle, he was thinking the same thing I was; how long it was going to be before we got abollocking from our respective 'other halves'. In my case, it lasted until late in the afternoon, Becky sparing me until we were alone in her office.
As I opened the door and looked inside as usual, I was pushed inside and the door was slammed behind me.
"You! Sit!" she said pointing at the sofa that was my usual berth when I was in her office.
"I'd rather stand," I started to say before she cut me off.
"Sit down, Freen, please," she said exasperatedly, "we need to talk about what happened earlier."
"Oh, all right," I said sitting down with a sigh, "get it over with then."
"Get what over with," she said to my surprise sitting down next to me and taking my hand.
"The telling off you're about to give me for snapping at Darren?" I suggested, wondering what was going on. I'd breached discipline and the least I deserved was a bawling out. "I assume that's what you want to talk about."
"No babe, I would like to talk about why it happened, not what happened." she said softly, her hands encompassing mine. I was busily concentrating on how soft they felt that I nearly missed what she said.
"Huh?"
"I said we need to talk about why you snapped at him, love," she continued as my brain snapped back into gear. "It's not exactly in character for you."
"Actually, the keeping my gob shut is the out of character part, Bec," I replied truthfully, my outspokenness at times often getting me into trouble; though normally I knew when I could afford to speak my mind.
"Whatever, that's not the point. The point is you freaked out and I didn't like it, you're normally so unflappable. Unless you're suffering from those nightmares and you haven't had one of those for a while now."
"I was tired of the jibes about flying," I said truthfully, "it seems like everyone, including you, wants to take cheap shots about it."
"I'm sorry, baby," she said contritely, squeezing my hands, "it's not that we don't think it's more that we don't understand. You've got to remember baby we don't have the same experiences as you, you were right when you said to Darren that we can't imagine what you've been through..."
"I know that, Bec," I interrupted before falling silent at her look.
"No, Freen, I mean it, we have no idea, and sometimes we might say stupid things that seem insensitive. I don't know how many things I might have said that might have offended you, but it's because I don't know ok?"
"I know," I said again. I did know. I'd bitten back comments on many occasions recently, usually whenever his brother opened his mouth and tried to be clever about my time in the army. "I don't mind normally, I do understand."
"So why did you lose your temper today, baby?" Becky said asking the obvious question.
"Stress, I guess," I admitted regretfully, "the flight, and the lack of sleep recently, I guess Darren just tapped into that when he thought he was being funny."
"I didn't know you hadn't been sleeping," she said with a frown, "I thought that was just me, why haven't you been sleeping again, don't tell me the nightmares are back and you've been hiding them from me. Is that it, have you been staying awake to push them away...?"
"No, they're not back," I confirmed shaking my head emphatically, "and that's not what I've been doing. I've just been worried a lot, and I guess it's made my sleep a bit restless, you know?"
"Worried? About what?" she asked making me smile despite myself.
"More about whom actually," I said leaning forward to kiss her forehead, "I don't think I've had a decent nights sleep for over a week."
"Then tonight you will," she said standing and hauling me to my feet. "I've done everything I can do for the day here, apart from read those files and I can do that at home. We're going back to the flat, and after a bit of a relax and a nice takeout you're going to bed; and if you can't sleep, you're taking one of my tablets."
"I can't do that," I protested, "I need to be able to..."
"...wake up if needed," she finished for me, "yes I know. Then you need to call JJ on the way and get someone over to cover for you, in fact that might not be a bad idea anyway."
"But..."
"But nothing, Freen," she said in her 'that's final' voice, "I need you at your very best you know, personally and professionally. If you need a good night's sleep to get you back to your best you're getting one; we can both take a tablet and crash out. So if you won't call JJ, I will."
"Ok, ok... I'll call him and see what he can do," I said as she practically dragged me across the office to her desk towards the pile of files that Bonnie had left for her.
"You call JJ, and I'll call down for a car," she said reaching for her desk phone, "because you and I, darling, are going home."
----
"It's good to be back," Becky said with a sigh, flopping down onto her favorite sofa and kicking off her shoes almost the second that we walked in. "I mean, I love being at the house with mum and everything, but it's so nice to be back at ours."
"Yeah," I said looking around the small flat that I now called home, my internal security sensors making sure everything was as it should be. As I did so, a question popped into my head that couldn't wait. I decided to carefully broach the subject.
"Babe, can I ask you something?"
"Guess so," she replied, "am I going to regret saying that?"
"Don't think so," I replied sitting down next to her and smiling as her feet immediately landed in my lap, her toes nudging me in her usual demand for a foot massage. "It's just something Richie said to me the other day, about your place..."
"What about our place?" she said pointedly, sighing as I kneaded away.
"Well, he said that the flat was a bolt hole for you, that it's where you went to get away from things, that you loved it because it was yours... yet you didn't have a single picture on display when I first came here, and you said you were never here. You said you were always at the house, or on business or something; I just wondered why he thought that."
"Because he's not really the dumb cow he makes out," Becky answered, and I could feel her tense; casually I moved my massaging from her foot to her leg. "He never really understood me, not totally, but he knows enough about me to be right occasionally."
"Well, he seemed to be certain about that part of you anyway, babe," I said soothingly, continuing to work on one leg after another in silence. "So, why did you tell me you're never here if Richie was right and this is your bolt hole?" I asked finally, voicing the question that had bugged me since the funeral.
"I don't know," she said relaxing once more, "I guess I wanted to just piss you off, you know? I was being the bitch and I had to be contrary to prove my point."
"What point was that?" I asked, wondering out loud.
"That it was my flat, it was my place, and I didn't need anyone's approval for it; least of all yours."
"I seem to recall I only said it was nice, babe," I said with a grin and a tweak on her toe.
"It was more the way you were looking around the place, Freenky," she said, "I didn't know what you were doing back then so I thought you were, well... well I don't know what I thought you were doing, I just didn't feel comfortable that's all."
"What was I doing?" I asked racking my brains and coming up with a big fat blank.
"You were checking out the place, babe, you do it everywhere you go. I don't even think you realize you do it. But that first morning, with everything that had gone before, and how bossy you'd been and how mixed up I was feeling about you, well, it sort of annoyed me and I wanted to make you feel awkward so I kind of lied about everything, I'm sorry."
"You know, sometimes you can be a right muppet," I told her, allowing my fingers to drift under her skirt and tickle the back of her knee; grinning as her foot twitched involuntarily.
"Well, I'm not alone," she said pouting and tapping me with her foot impatiently. Thankfully, I was saved by a knock at the door and with a wink, I slipped from under her outstretched legs and went to the front door, picking up her tiny can of pepper spray from the hall dresser as I peered out through the spy hole. I didn't need it though, looking back at me was the tousled hair of my old LT.
"I'm not interested in buying from door to door salespeople," I said as I opened the door on the chain, my foot planted firmly against the bottom just in case.
"Well, it's just as well ma'am because I'm collecting for charity," JJ said, giving me the agreed response and I opened the door to let him in.
"I thought you were sending one of the boys over," I said as I took his jacket and hung it up for him, gesturing for him to go through to the living room.
"Hey JJ," Becky said as he walked in, getting up to give him a hug. "Thank you for coming over, she's being a pain again."
"What?" I said as I stood in the doorway my arms folded, "I'm just trying to do my job."
"Sarge," JJ replied with a sigh, "I know you well enough to know that you 'doing your job' can involve you working yourself to the point of exhaustion. Which is why I assume Miss Armstrong forced you to call me."
"I never said that..." I started, only to be halted in my tracks by a raised eyebrow from the LT and a snigger from Becky.
"Oh, fuck you both backwards," I said as they grinned at me like feline quadrupeds from a county in North West England.
"Well it was rather obvious, Sarge," JJ said as I sat down, "I may not know you as well as I used to, but the odds of you calling me to ask for someone to come over and cover for you, especially while you are at home with Miss Armstrong, without being prompted by her or someone else to do so are, I am afraid to say, frankly very, very slim indeed."
"Breathe, JJ," Becky said with an awed look on her face. "I think you managed to make that all one sentence."
"Sorry," the LT said blushing slightly, "I developed a bit of a condition after, well that's not important, but it was quite unlikely that Freen here would have called without your intervention Miss Armstrong."
"Fuck's sake, JJ sit down and stop calling me Miss Armstrong," Becky said with a smile, waving at the other sofa. "I'm sure I've told you that before. Babe, a cup of tea would be fantastic whileyou're up."
"Thought I was supposed to be getting some rest," I murmured as I swung myself off the wall and walked into the kitchen, my arms still folded tightly across my chest.
"Oh and if you can bring through the menu for Antonio's that would be brilliant, baby," she called, amusement in her voice, "I'm sure JJ would like to order something for dinner."
"Yes, Miss Armstrong," I called out in my best subservient voice, "Right away, Miss Armstrong."
"Thank you, Miss Sarocha," she called back as I turned on the tap to fill the kettle, placing it on the gas hob to boil. For all their teasing, I allowed myself a small feeling of relief, I was totally exhausted and my mind was slowing down. Having JJ here as back up would allow me to switch off at least one part of my brain, though whether the one that worried about Becky, the upcoming trips and the complexities of our relationship would allow me to sleep was a different matter.
After a pretty good meal, courtesy of Becky's favorite Italian restaurant, I found myself on the sofa my eyes closing despite it being a little after eight; though having Becky sitting behind me slowly running her hand through my hair was making the whole falling asleep thing much easier. I was dimly aware of a faint conversation about the trip to Iraq, but despite myself I couldn't bring my brain to focus. I guess I'd hit the point where pushing myself was no longer an option and finally, I allowed myself to relax fully.
"Freen," Becky whispered tapping me on the shoulder, "why don't you go to bed, love, you're clearly shattered."
"I'm fine, Bec, quite happy where I am thanks," I told her, tipping back my head from where it was lying on her lap to look up at her. "Where's JJ?"
"He's on the phone to his wife," she said with a smile, "and has been for the last half and hour or so. You've been fast asleep. I wouldn't have disturbed you but my legs have gone to sleep in sympathy with you."
I lifted my arm and stared at my watch, goggling at the fact that it was now half past nine. I seemed to have lost an hour somewhere, I was obviously more relaxed than I thought lying there.
"You coming, too?" I asked, deciding it was better to give in to how I was feeling rather than try to fight it again.
"Yeah, in a minute or two, you locked up after dinner arrived, didn't you? I'll just wait up so I can tell JJ he's in the spare room tonight."
"My room," I said with a smile as I dragged myself off the sofa, my muscles protesting at the sudden movement.
"Whatever, now give me a kiss and go and warm the bed up for me, I'll be there in a minute."
"Yes, ma'am," I said bending down to kiss her goodnight, "but you can warm your own side of the bed up, I don't think I'm going to be capable of much more than flopping down and falling asleep."
"Fair enough, go to bed, Freen. I love you."
"I love you too, Bec," I said leaning down to kiss her again, "goodnight."
-----
I didn't need a tablet that night, nor actually for any of the following nights of the whirlwind trip that followed Rob' funeral. After waving goodnight to JJ who was stood talking quietly into his phone in the kitchen, I climbed into bed and from the second my head hit the pillow I was away; my insomnia seemingly a thing of the past in my exhausted state.
I didn't even feel Becky coming to bed, such was the depth of my sleep; and when, in the morning, I found her wrapped around me, I was thankful for her foresight in making me call JJ. If I didn't wake when my girlfriend came to bed, I was hardly a good guard dog. I was usually a really light sleeper, though perhaps that was a part of the problem.
Still I was feeling one hundred percent better when the alarm went off and I woke to Becky's arms wrapped around me, her leg thrown casually across mine. As I reached out to turn off theincessant bleeping, a small hand stretched out to stop it in its tracks.
"Put it on snooze, baby," Becky whispered sleepily, we can spare another ten minutes, and I'm warm and comfy."
Obligingly, I jabbed at the snooze button until the alarm ended its head hurting claxon. Leaning back, I was wrapped up in a warm embrace once again.
"Good sleep, babe?" she murmured planting a kiss on my shoulder and pulling me close.
"I think so," I said fluffing the duvet over the pair of us properly, "I don't seem to remember anything past turning off the light."
"Must have been good then," she sniggered into my shoulder blade, "because when I came to bed the light was still on, and you were dead to the world. Did you take one of those tablets before you tuned in?"
"Nope," I said snuggling back, loving the feel of her naked body against mine. "Didn't need to take one I don't think."
"Seems not," she giggled, "I could have let off a bomb in here and I don't think you'd have noticed."
"Let's not joke about bombs please, babe," I said with a yawn, "not this early in the morning anyway."
I got a kiss on my back as a reply and with that, we dozed happily until the alarm kicked in once more to ruin the peace.
It was pretty much the last moment of calm that we got as the week of mad meetings began. Friday's meeting with some stuffy fucker from the MOD dragged on and on seemingly endlessly, yet finally Becky came away happy; apart from the fact that we'd missed our early flightto the States.
Saturday saw us in Dallas, red-eyed and knackered after changing flights three times to make it there on time. Sunday found us in LA and to my surprise, we had not one but three meetings organized. I thought that it being a Sunday people would be reluctant to meet, but in the cut and thrust world of international arms dealing, it looked like weekends weren't important. Though I guess it didn't hurt that Armstrong Industries were paying for some pretty nice meals in some pretty expensive restaurants. The only things I had to deal with, was not getting to join in the food fest, and having to listen to Becky complaining all the way to South East Asia about how her figure was suffering after three big meals.
It wasn't suffering at all from what I could see; it was still as trim as ever. Not that I got much of a chance to look at it that was; by the time you took meetings and flights into account, our time together, in bed or not, was much reduced. In fact, for the three days that we flitted about in Asia, we spent more time sleeping on planes that we did in hotels. By the end of it, Becky was looking a little bit worse for wear, and I don't think I was looking much better.
"I'll be glad when this fucking trip is over," she said to me on Thursday morning, climbing out of the shower on our way to yet one more meeting in yet one more shiny air conditioned building. "I don't know about you but I am sick to death of traveling right now."
I could totally sympathize, if I was totally honest I didn't have a clue where the fuck we were, just one more city on a seemingly endless itinerary that was constantly being updated by Becky's team in London. My lack of interest in where we were was fueled mostly by tiredness, I'd been onconstant watch since Friday morning, and I'd not even been sleeping well on the planes, grabbing naps wherever I could to keep going. Still, things were going well, and despite her tiredness, Becky was a happy girl; and a happy Becky made for a happy Sarge.
After today, we had one more place to go, a quick trip to New Delhi for a series of meetings with both the Border Security Force that had started all the threats, and with officials from the Indian Army about the deal that was ongoing. Friday was going to be a very busy day; and if we were lucky, Saturday was going to be spent fast asleep.
Overall, it had been a mad week, a very mad week, but from my position a successful one. By the time we landed back in dirty old London we had travelled right the way around the globe, been to city after city and travelled in planes, cars, and minibuses and in all that time I had not even seen a hint of danger.
Someone once said that a great plan never survives first contact with the enemy; that being the case, I was delighted that all of the plans that JJ and the team had put in place for us had worked perfectly. Despite what people think, soldiers love things like that, I did anyway. As exciting as combat could be, getting home in once piece was by far the best part.
-----
"Home, finally," Becky sighed as she flopped onto the bed in her little flat, not even bothering to unpack. "I think I could sleep for a week."
"Me too," I agreed as I performed my ritual of walking from room to room, checking that there was nothing out of place and everything was safe and sound. It was a little after three in the morning and despite my tiredness, I wasn't taking any chances.
"So where the hell are you then?" Bec called out as I latched the front door and switched off the hall light, padding silently to the bedroom. "Come to bed!"
"I'm coming," I said peeling off my traveling clothes and crinkling my nose at the aroma that I was emitting, half a day on a plane flying home, business class or not, did not make for a heavenly scent. Frankly, I smelt like a wet dog and I was in desperate need of a shower.
"Where you going?" Becky said from her position on the bed, "I thought you were coming to bed?"
"In a second, Bec," I replied walking into the bathroom and running the tap filling the sink with warm water. "I need a bit of a wash first, or the smell will keep us both awake."
"That sounds like a good idea," she said appearing behind me as I gave myself a quick all over wash. "After you."
"All yours," I said grabbing a towel and drying myself off, looking around for the can of deodorant that I knew was in here. One quick spray and I was feeling cleaner and smelling sweeter and I was more than ready for bed.
"That was actually a great idea," she said as she took the towel from me and patted herself down.
"Yeah, trick I learned in the army hun," I told her. "It's a fast way of passing muster. I wish I could be bothered having a shower but I don't want to get my hair wet tonight."
"Exactly," she agreed tossing the towel onto the laundry pile and grabbing my spray, "but I'm glad you don't smell anymore babe, because I want a cool bed and a hot girl to give me a cuddle."
"Got anyone in mind?" I asked yawning loudly.
"Yeah, but she's not here so you'll have to do," she replied yawning in sympathy with me. "Come to bed, baby, I want that cuddle."
"Yes, ma'am," I replied as she led me back into the bedroom and the cool cotton sheets, "happy to oblige."
------
"What the hell?"
I was dragged form a particularly nice dream of a bright white tropical beach, and a dark tanned redhead in a tiny bikini, by the voice of that very redhead calling out in disgust. As I surfaced, I could hear a knocking at the door and felt Becky get out of bed.
"What are you doing, Bec?" I said as I glanced at the clock, staring at the numbers in disgust.
"Getting the door," she replied pulling on her purple dressing gown.
"Woah there," I said, shaking my head to clear out the fog, we'd had about four hours sleep max and after the week we had had, I felt like I needed at least another fourteen to get back into fighting trim. Still it was a good thing, I could probably do with getting some cover in again if I was going to crash out properly.
"What?" Becky snapped back at me before apologizing quickly. "Sorry, love, I'm just tired still that's all. What's the matter?"
"I get the door, baby," I said getting up and grabbing my own robe, pulling it on as I kissed her forehead. "You stay here for a second until I know it's safe."
"That's my Freenky, always on duty," she teased, grabbing the lapels of my robe and pulling me back for a proper kiss.
"Absolutely, but not when I go back to bed," I said as I slipped away. "I might need JJ again to cover. I plan to enter a coma again and not get out of bed until tomorrow lunchtime!"
"Sounds like a plan," I heard from our room as I walked out into the hall, putting my eye to the spyglass and getting the shock of my life.
"Jenna," I said as I opened the door on the chain, my foot placed as usual, "everything ok?"
"Yes, thank you dear, I hate to disturb you both, but I need to talk to Becky. Is she awake?"
"She is," I said glancing at, and around, her for signs of danger; seeing nothing I slipped the chain off the door and braced myself just in case.
"Where's Richard?" I asked frowning as I closed the door on an empty hallway. Her CPO should be with her, not absent without leave.
"Right now, probably in the lift heading downstairs. It's all right, Freen dear, I was quite safe so I sent him to keep watch in the foyer, though I have told him not to follow your example and sit out on the street."
I flushed slightly at her playful jibe only to get a reassuring pat on my shoulder as I put the extra latches over once more. "Where is my daughter, don't tell me she's still in bed?"
"I am not, though I was mum," Becky said appearing in the hallway, toweling dry her face, "you know we didn't get home until three this morning?"
"Oh, I didn't dear," Jenna said looking ashamed, "I thought you were supposed to be home last night, not this morning."
"We got delayed," I said gesturing for them both to go through to the living room. "Would anyone like a cup of tea?"
After getting a drinks order, I vanished into the kitchen, making myself scarce while mother and daughter chatted. I could hear brief snippets of conversation as I flitted about, but nothing that made sense, I simply assumed that Jenna wanted a debrief on Becky's trip; but why it couldn't have waited until a reasonable hour I had no clue, especially on a Saturday morning.
"Tea," I said as I carried the tray into the room, wondering why the conversation stopped as I entered, "and a fresh pot of coffee for you, Jenna."
"Thank you dear," Jenna said reaching out to pour a cup, "and let me apologize for waking you, I really needed to drop some bits off with Becky and find out how her trip went, I have a flight to Paris at lunchtime. Colin and I have decided to take our first official holiday together."
"That's nice," I replied passing Becky her cup and pouring my own, "supposed to be a very romantic place."
"Have you never been?" Becky asked stifling a yawn, I smiled and shook my head.
"Amy wanted to go, but it wasn't really my kind of place, all stuffy art galleries and overpriced coffee shops with stuck up waiters and pretentious French wankers who treat you like...."
I paused for a second realizing that the two of them were looking at me amusedly, stupidly I realized just how we had got into this conversation.
"Guess there's no point in taking you to Paris then," Bec said with a wink to her mother. "Another romantic holiday destination scuppered."
"Speaking of which," Jenna interrupted winking at me, the similarity to her daughter striking; "you are both officially off the clock the second I leave this flat and I don't want any arguments from you Becky. You both deserve a holiday and neither of you are paying for it. It's my treat, sign everything to the company, Becky. I know your father wouldn't let you do that, but he did it often enough and I want to extend you the same courtesy."
"But mum," Becky started to say only to be silenced with a hand.
"Enough, Becky, I've just sent you right around the world to keep our business on a sound footing; which it appears you have done wonderfully as usual. This is an executive reward, and I won't hear otherwise."
"But that's not right mum, we've agreed that..."
"Enough Becky, I will pay for it and that is the end of it." Jenna said with a smile and a raised hand.
"Is it all sorted then?" Becky asked cryptically, and I assumed that whatever she was planning, Jenna was well in on it.
"Of course it is, dear," Jenna replied with a wink, confirming my suspicious. "Now, tell me about that deal with the Indian Army, how is that coming along? Did you at least have a successful meeting..?"
I excused myself after I finished my drink, collecting up the tray and taking it out to do the washing up. I was giving serious thoughts to the security for our little holiday when I heard Jenna call out from the hallway.
"Freen, I'm done with my daughter, come here and give me a hug."
"I don't do hugging, Mrs Armstrong," I shouted back, listening to the laughter from the hallway.
"Well, come and shake hands then," Jenna continued as I dried my hands on a tea towel.
Casually, I walked out of the kitchen and was immediately hugged.
"Have a great holiday and look after my daughter, Freen," Jenna said as she crushed the life out of me and kissed me on the cheek. "Try to enjoy yourself, ok?"
"I'll try, to all three," I said rolling my eyes at a grinning Becky. "Have a good time in Paris."
"Oh, I will," she said releasing me and hugging her daughter, "I most certainly will."
Becky and I lay slumped on the sofa after Jenna left, a fresh pot of tea on the table in front of us, totally undisturbed and probably stone cold.
"I want to go back to bed," Becky said yawning.
"So why don't you?" I replied, running my hand through her hair as she lay on top of me staring at the ceiling, "we're on holiday remember?"
"True," she replied sighing, "but if I go back to bed now, I won't go to sleep tonight and we have to get up early tomorrow."
"We do?" I said, somewhat surprised, "but tomorrow's Sunday, I thought we had no plans."
"We do now," she said leaning back to look up at me, "we have to get up early so we can leave for our holiday, it's going to take a while to get there, and I want to spend as much time there as I can. From what mum's just told me, I'm going to need it."
"I take it there is more traveling in our future?" I said with a mental shake of my head.
"Not exactly," she said rolling over and looking up at me, eyes dulled with tiredness. "I told you we would be going back to India but it looks like we're off to Iraq when we come back instead, mum said the meeting went well while I was, you know, dad."
I nodded, not wanting to bring up the funeral any more than she did. "That's good though, isn't it?" I asked, "I know you thought you might lose out on the opportunity by not being there."
"Yeah," she replied, snuggling into me as I wrapped my arms around her back. "It is, but it's still a bit scary."
"Well JJ has everything in place, babe," I said reassuringly, giving her a squeeze. "Everything will go smoothly I'm sure, no point in worrying about it."
"I guess," she replied shifting herself around until she could kiss me, her chin nudging aside my robe until she found bare flesh.
"So then, back to bed?" I asked, thinking longingly of those cool cotton sheets.
"As long as we don't sleep in too late," she said meaningfully, slipping off me and standing up; holding out her hand. "I like the sound of bed," she said hugging me.
"Well, I meant to sleep, babe," I said with a smile as her hands slipped under my robe.
"Unfortunately," she said ruefully pressing her flesh against mine, "so did I."
-----
"Becky, I cannot believe you got me up this early and you still aren't ready," I said as she leaned on the top of her suitcase trying to zip it closed. I got a stern look by way of reply and slowly I began to back out of the bedroom in search of safety.
"...and just where do you think you're going?" Becky said as I almost reached the door. Her voice was stern but there was a twinkle in her eye that told me that her hard stare wasn't totally serious. I didn't for one second think it was, after all we were going on holiday.
"I was going to, go over there and do something useful, darling," I said feigning nervousness as I pretended to wither under her glare.
"Well, come over here and do something useful instead," she replied crooking her finger at me.
"With pleasure, love," I said with a smile, walking over her expecting a hug.
"Carry that into the hallway for me, would you?" she said skipping past me and patting my arm as she left; leaving me to sigh ruefully and stare at the over packed case. With a grunt, I lifted it from the bed and carried it out into the hallway to stand next to my, slightly lighter, case.
"One second to brush my hair and I'll be ready, baby," Becky called out as she walked behind me and back into the bedroom again. Rolling my eyes I walked around the flat making sure everything was off and that all the windows were locked tightly; finding everything to my satisfaction I walked back into the hallway to find Becky staring at me.
"Quite finished?" she said with a grin, leaning up to kiss me as I walked over to grab the cases. I nodded as she released me and reached out to grab my case only to find a smaller hand already on the handle.
"Seeing as you're carrying mine, babe, I thought I'd take yours for you," she said with a smug grin.
"So generous as well as so pretty," I said as I lifted the handle of her case to full extension, being damned if I was going to actually carry it any further than I had to.
"Aw, thanks, ready?"
"Whenever you are."
I set the alarm and pulled the door to behind me making sure the locks were secure before turning to see Becky waiting by the lift doors.
"Just because we're on holiday doesn't mean you take risks," I told her disapprovingly, raising an eyebrow at her position in front of the doors.
"Sorry, Sarge," she said stepping to the side, waiting out of sight of the doors just in case. I took up position on the other side and waited, glancing in when the doors finally opened.
"Basement?" she said, her finger hovering over the button that would take us to the flats private car park.
"Yeah," I nodded watching as she pressed the button and stepped back turning away from me slightly. "So are you going to tell me where we're going yet?" I said as I watched her fluff her immaculate hair, staring at her reflection.
"No," she replied, our eyes meeting via the mirrored wall. "It is strictly need to know, remember?"
"I'm going to need to know pretty soon, Bec, if you want me to drive us somewhere it sort of helps."
"I'm going to program your sat nav while you put away our cases, babe, that way I can keep my secret a bit longer."
That's exactly what happened too and not for the first time in our relationship, I'd bottled out of pressing her for information, of turning on my investigators skills and digging out the information I wanted to know.
Becky Armstrong had made me soft. Still, it didn't hurt to allow her this little secret, it was harmless and it obviously amused her, judging by the broad grin on her face as she sat in the passenger seat and typed away. It was nice to see her this relaxed, I thought to myself as I lifted her heavy case into the boot and squared it away. She'd been through an awful lot over the last month, what with the death of her father and then the traveling; she needed to relax, her mother was right.
"No peeking, babe," she said blocking the screen with her body as I glanced through the open hatch. I smiled to myself, she was enjoying teasing me, and I was enjoying letting her. I made it my vow to make this holiday the best she had ever had. I just hoped we were going somewhere really hot and sunny, call me a letch but I was looking forward to seeing my girl walking along a sunny beach, clad in nothing but a tiny bikini. I knew the reality would be far better than the dream.
"So then, are you going to at least give me a hint where am I going?" I said as I climbed into the drivers seat and started the engine of my X5.
"Follow the Sat Nav," she said cryptically, obviously intent on maintaining the air of mystery until the bitter end.
"Can you give me a general idea?" I asked looking at the time on the screen and seeing that the destination was over ten hours away, knowing that wherever we were going it was going to be a long way from London. "There's no reception for the GPS down here so I'll need a rough direction until it kicks in."
"Oh, that's good," she replied with a huge smile. "Well played, for your information, we're heading for the motorway first."
"Which way?" I asked digging a bit harder, though suspecting that she wasn't going to give too much away, the game still being played out between us.
"North," she replied and my brain put two and two together. Scotland, I thought instantly, were going to bloody Scotland.