A/N: Hi all after writing a one shot for these two, I thought I would try my hand at something longer.
I got inspiration for this off a you tube clip if you want to watch it, Just type in:
You tube casualty Dixie and Jeff Life Sentence.
It's short at three minutes long but I thought it gave off a very strong impression that Jeff was falling for Dixie.
Jeff Collier jogged steadily next to his golden retriever, it was seven in the morning and he and Little Abs were out in the woods for an early morning walk. Little Abs had been in a playful mood that morning, Dixie and Jeff had worked a gruelling night shift and he had missed their company.
"C'mon Abs, slow down mate." He reasoned with the dog as he tightened his grip on the leash.
Obediently he came to a stop, before sitting up and staring at Jeff with his big puppy eyes, wagging his tail as he did so.
Jeff let out loud yawn and rubbed his eyes, the late shift had been a tough one however, he always found it went a lot quicker with Dixie by his side.
Dixie and Jeff had formulated a system for the night shift, when they got home in the morning they would take it in turns to walk Little Abs whilst the other one got in a few hours sleep. Jeff found this wasn't often or at all the case, he would always end up volunteering to take the dog in her place.
"The things I do for her." He thought aloud as he patted Little Abs, who at this stage was tugging at the lead eager to move onwards.
He enjoyed the route he walked each day, it gave him time to think. Jeff had come to realise over recent weeks, that the reason he was only too happy to walk the dog was because it was easier than staying at home awaiting Dixie's return. Sleep would seem impossible for him when he knew she was out there without him and it worried him that he wouldn't be there to protect her, should anything happen.
Well that's what he told himself anyway.
He knew all too well that Dixie could look after herself, he couldn't take all the hopeful feelings he had when she was out. He would lie awake in bed, he would be exhausted yet unable to fall asleep. The sound of the door would open and he would listen to her crash about in the kitchen before charging up the stairs and each time he would hold his breath and hope that she would come into his room and cuddle up beside him, like proper married couples did.
She never did though. Each time she would tiptoe across the landing, thinking he was asleep and he would hear her bedroom door open before closing shut once more.
He never felt that way about his first wife. He loved Lucy but it was nothing compared to what he now felt for Dixie. Sometimes he wished he had never met her, it seemed it was a cruel twist of fate that the one woman who was so perfect for him, had to be a lesbian.
He could still remember the conversation he had with her before they got married he still remembered it word for word, like a tape recorder of the mind that was stuck on repeat.
Flashback
She had come up to him a smile across her face and had presented him with the question,
"Aren't you going to ask properly?"
"Ay?" He had asked confused by her humour.
"Well a gentleman is meant to propose, on your knee's Jeffrey."
"You gotta be joking, aint you?"
The smiled each other before relaxing into a laugh, he had never thought of her as anything more than a friend in the past, of course she was a no go she wasn't even straight,t but something had changed there and then.
The she asked him the question that he without hesitation knew the answer to.
"What made you change your mind?"
"Oh I dunno, I had nothing else line up." He shrugged, careful not to reveal the true extent of his feelings.
"Oh careful sweetheart you're going to sweep me off my feet here." She replied in a sarcastic tone.
"No, I can't actually think of anyone else I'd rather spend the next forty years with." He answered his tone changing to one of seriousness.
She smiled before wordlessly looking down at the ground, he had hoped she would tell him she felt the same and she wanted to marry him because she loved him and it wasn't just for her dad's sake, but she didn't she turned it around and made it a joke.
"Forty? You'll be lucky with my cooking."
"Yeah you've got a point there." He replied, knowing that that was the best he was probably going to get.
Little Abs started tugging at the lead once more bringing him around from his trance like state.
"Alright, let's get you home." He sighed as he directed him in the direction of the house.
He half walked half jogged back to the house, the journey was made longer by Little Abs fascination with every hedge row, fellow dog and lamppost they passed.
Finally they arrived back to the house, he took a few moments to find his keys, however he paused just as he was about to place his keys in the lock as his attention was caught by the sound of two people laughing from inside. He recognised the first as that of Dixie's, yet he couldn't place the second one, it was definitely a woman and she had a strong hearty laugh but other than that he couldn't place who it was.
He hesitated for a split second before ramming his key into the lock and bursting through the door. He briskly walked through to the living room where the laughter was coming from.
He stopped dead in his tracks at the sight that he saw, Dixie jumped up off the sofa, before securing her dressing gown in embarrassment.
"Jeff, I thought you would be out for longer." She blushed as she avoided eye contact with a stunned Jeff.
"Well uh.." He stuttered before trailing off.
"Maybe I should go." The woman on the sofa said, as she wrapped scrambled for her clothes.
"Jeffery sweetheart, could just give us a moment?" Dixie requested as she picked up one of the woman's socks and passed it over.
"Sure, sure." He replied a, trying to comprehend the sight before him.
Quickly he made a swift exit and headed into the kitchen, where he took the lead off the dog and busied himself by preparing little Abs's breakfast. As he placed the bowl down onto the floor, he watched on as the dog hungrily devoured the food, Jeff couldn't help but feel envious of the dog's carefree attitude to the sight he had just walked in on.
The sound of the kitchen door opening caused Jeff to look up and in walked Dixie and the woman a few paces behind her.
"Sorry about that." The woman behind Dixie apologised, breaking the awkward silence. Jeff noted how she had an American accent.
"Well looks like you've rumbled us." Dixie joked in attempts to lighten the mood.
"Ha looks like it." He replied as he tried to mask his hurt.
"I'm Dawn." The woman offered as she extended her hand.
"Jeff." He introduced before begrudgingly taking her hand, painting on a false smile as he did so.
"Dawn and I have been seeing each other for the past month or so, I wanted to see how it went before telling you."
The words cut right through him, it was if someone had walked up to him and punched him hard in the stomach, he wanted to speak however he felt breathless.
"Jeffrey?" Dixie asked as she noticed his look of horror.
"Congratulations." He mumbled, unable to think of anything else.
"What's up mate?" Dixie asked concerned by his distant behaviour.
"Nothing. Sorry. It's been a long night, come here you." He said as he put on a tone of enthusiasm, before wrapping his arms around the women.
"Well it was great meeting you Jeff." Dawn smiled as the hug came to a close.
"Right I said I'd give Dawn a lift home." Dixie informed as she picked up her car keys.
Jeff merely nodded as he watched the two women walk out hand in hand.
He took one last look at Dawn, there was nothing special about her she had shoulder length, chestnut hair and she was a little bit taller than Dixie.
As the door slammed closed, he sank down onto the kitchen floor and buried his head in his hands. Why couldn't it be him she wanted?
A/N: Thanks for reading the next part will be up soon.
