Bring It On Home
Author's Note
I haven't written in a long time, and this is my first CA fanfic, so let me know if it's good or not. This idea came to me after re-watching the Pilot episode and Walter's Walk. Dialogue in bold type comes from those two episodes. The usual caveat: I'm doing this for fun, not profit, since I do not own these characters. If I did, they'd have their own show.
Chapter 1
Joan stepped off the elevator. Arthur was alone in the hallway, waiting for her.
"So you're telling me he's back already?" he asked, without preamble.
"The moment we brought her in, he resurfaced. Thankfully, he took out Stas for us."
"Ben Mercer. They must've had a hell of a time in Sri Lanka."
"Should we mobilize an ops team?" Joan asked.
"No, not yet," Arthur replied. "If we move too quickly he could slip away again. Keep the girl working. Keep her out there. Let's see what he does." Joan nodded as Arthur continued. "Hopefully she'll lead us right to him."
He started to walk away. "Arthur-" she began.
He stopped and turned to face her. "This meeting's over, Joan," he said, then continued down the hall toward his office.
Joan watched him until he turned the corner. She debated going after him, but instead headed back to her own office. Arthur was clearly angry with her – she had expected that. She had, after all, falsely accused him of infidelity. But she had seen something else in his eyes just before he walked away from her. Pain. She had hurt him – deeply. She wasn't sure how she was going to make it right. Or if Arthur would let her.
Joan arrived home late that evening, but wasn't surprised to find that Arthur wasn't there yet. She changed into a nightgown and robe, sat down on the couch and turned on the TV, preparing for a lengthy wait.
"Joan?" She awoke with a start. Arthur was gently shaking her. "Come on," he said, helping her to her feet. "Let's get you to bed." He took her arm and guided her toward the bedroom.
"Arthur?" she said, still slightly disoriented. "I was waiting for you. I need to talk to you."
"I know," he replied softly as he turned back the covers on the bed, "but right now we're both tired. Get some sleep. We'll talk tomorrow." He helped her out of her robe, and after she lay down he covered her with the blankets. He kissed her cheek. "Good night," he said as he turned toward the door.
She stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Aren't you coming to bed?"
"I still have work to do."
"Oh. Well, good night, then." When he reached the door, she stopped him again. "Arthur—" He turned. She hesitated, then said, "Thank you." He nodded and left the room. Joan sighed. At least his anger seemed to have dissipated.
When Joan awoke the next morning, she immediately sensed that she was alone. She turned to Arthur's side of the bed. The blankets were undisturbed. He had either worked all night or slept on the couch. She sat up and rubbed her eyes.
"Good morning," Arthur said as he walked into the room. He was already dressed in shirt and pants, and he was folding his cell phone closed. He went to his dresser to pick out a tie.
"You didn't come to bed last night," Joan said.
""I told you, I had work to do," he replied as he finished knotting his tie and reached for his suit jacket.
"Is that the only reason?"
He turned to look her in the eye. "Yes."
"Arthur…" she began.
"I know. We need to talk. But I have a meeting with the DNI in half an hour."
"But—"
He went over and sat beside her on the bed. "Joan, I'm sorry. I wish I had time now, but I don't. We'll have dinner tonight, okay? Eight o'clock? The usual place?"
She nodded. "Okay." She couldn't keep the disappointment out of her voice.
"I've gotta go." He kissed her cheek. "Tonight. I promise," he said as he stood and headed for the door.
After he left the room, Joan got up and started to get ready for work.
Chapter 2
By 8:15 that evening, they were sitting at a table at their favourite restaurant. After their drinks arrived, Arthur turned to Joan.
"So, how's Jai working out?" he asked.
"Honestly, I still have issues with the DCS installing him in my division without my permission," Joan replied.
"The DCS doesn't need your permission. He outranks you," Arthur pointed out.
"Just at work," she retorted.
Their waiter approached the table. "May I take your order?"
"Hi. I'll have the salmon, please," Joan said. The waiter turned to Arthur.
"I'll have the bone-in rib-eye, rare."
Joan cast a sidelong glance at her husband as the waiter withdrew. Arthur took a sip of his Scotch and set it back down on the table.
"What was that look?" he asked.
"When we first met, and you were married, we'd have these illicit dinners – and you'd order that. Then later, during our courtship, we'd have these romantic dinners – and you'd order that. Now we're doing this…whatever this is – and you order the same thing. The one constant in our lives seems to be how you order steak."
"Well," he replied, "we work in a job where there's misdirection, double-talking – sometimes lies…" He placed his hand over hers. "Here's a truth. I want this to work between us."
Just then, Joan's cell phone rang. "Ignore that," Arthur said. "Continue to stare into my eyes."
Joan smiled. "Maybe you should answer it. What if it's an invasion or something?"
"No," Arthur said, holding up his own phone. "Then this phone would be ringing."
Joan laughed as Arthur returned his phone to his pocket and held her hand in both of his. She reached out with her free hand and pressed a button on her phone, silencing it. When she looked back up at him, her expression had turned sombre. He watched her silently, waiting for her to speak.
"Arthur…" she began, and then stopped. For a woman who normally had no problem speaking her mind, she was uncharacteristically reticent.
"What is it, Joan?" he prompted her softly.
She withdrew her hand from his and fingered the stem of her wine glass. When she spoke again, her tone was subdued.
"Arthur, I'm sorry," she said. "For everything. Especially for accusing you of having an affair."
"Why?" he said, speaking as softly as she had.
"'Why?'" she repeated. "What do you mean?"
"Why on earth would you think—" He stopped and took a deep breath. "What did I do to make you think I was cheating on you?"
Joan closed her eyes, and when she reopened them they were filled with unshed tears. "It's just…" she hesitated.
"Just tell me, Joan," Arthur said, reaching for her hand and squeezing it gently. "If we're going to fix this, I need to know."
"You've been so distant lately," she replied, staring at the table. "We barely talk any more. And it seems like every time we try, we end up arguing." She sighed. "And then when I saw the phone records and the restaurant reservations…"
"That was—" Arthur began, but Joan stopped him.
"Completely work-related. I know. Now. I didn't then. What was I supposed to think?" she asked, looking him in the eye.
"You could have trusted me!"
"You could have told me!"
Arthur sighed. "You're right," he said softly. "I should have told you."
Joan's tone softened, too. "Yes, you should have."
He reached for her hand again. "Do you trust me?" he asked. She stared at her wine glass. He squeezed her hand. "Please, Joan, tell me. Be honest. I won't get angry. I just want to know. Do you trust me?"
"I do…" she replied.
"But?"
"It's just… it's difficult sometimes when I know there are things you're not telling me…."
"There are things I can't tell you. It comes with the territory," he answered.
"I know. But there have been things you could have told me but didn't. Things like transferring Jai to the DPD."
He took a sip of his Scotch before replying. "I didn't tell you about Jai because I knew you'd object. I figured it would be easier if it was a fait accompli. I realize now, that wasn't fair to you. I'm sorry."
"You can trust me, too, you know," she said with a small smile.
He matched her smile, but quickly turned serious again. "I do. But I guess I need to prove it to you, don't I? There's something else I haven't told you recently that I should have."
Apprehension flashed into her eyes, but was quickly replaced with bewilderment as he raised her hand and pressed his lips to her wedding band. When he spoke again, his voice was thick with emotion.
"I love you, Joan," he said. "With all my heart."
"Oh, Arthur!" Tears filled her eyes again. "I love you, too!"
They leaned toward each other for a kiss, but were interrupted by the return of their waiter. After he set their meals on the table with the customary "Enjoy," and left, Joan placed her hand on Arthur's knee. She leaned over until her lips were brushing against his ear.
"Arthur," she whispered. "I'm not hungry."
She leaned back, giving him the smile that never failed to make his heart to beat faster. He raised his eyebrows, smiling in return. He pulled out his wallet and threw some bills down beside their untouched plates. Hand in hand, they quickly left the restaurant.
Chapter 3
Joan was lying curled against her husband, her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. She had been awake for several minutes, but feigned sleep, wanting to hold on to the magic of the previous night for just a little while longer.
The drive from the restaurant seemed to take a lot longer than usual. When they got home, she had expected Arthur to be impatient. Instead, he had been as attentive as he always was. He undressed her slowly, kissing and caressing as he went, before quickly divesting himself of his own clothes. When they made love he was so gentle, so considerate, that afterwards she buried her head in his chest and wept.
He cupped her chin and tilted her head so he could look into her eyes. Concern and confusion etched his face. "Did I hurt you?" he whispered.
"God, no!" she cried. "You were wonderful."
"Then what –"
"Oh, Arthur, how could I have doubted you? I'm so sorry." She sobbed into his chest.
"I'm sorry, too," he said, stroking her hair. "God knows, I gave you enough reasons for doubt." He tightened his arms around her and whispered, "It's okay. We'll get through this."
After several minutes, she raised her head and looked into his eyes. "I love you," she said.
"I love you," he replied as he gently brushed her tears away with his thumb. He kissed her, softly at first, then with more pressure. She responded in kind, granting his probing tongue full access.
They made love again – tenderly, passionately, repeatedly – before finally falling asleep in each other's arms just before dawn. Now, despite having slept only a couple of hours, she felt rejuvenated. She was glad to have a few moments to savour the feeling before having to face the day.
When she heard a change in Arthur's breathing, she opened her eyes to find him awake and smiling at her. "Good morning," he said.
"Good morning," she replied, raising herself onto her elbows to brush a lock of his hair off his forehead. "Did you sleep okay?"
"Better than okay. You?"
"Likewise."
He cupped her cheek. "I love you, you know?"
She smiled. "You've made that perfectly clear." She kissed him before adding, "I love you, too."
He smiled in return and stared deeply into her eyes. "You were sensational last night."
"You were pretty incredible yourself." She leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Your stamina never ceases to amaze me."
"Oh, yeah?" he said with a mischievous smile. "Well…"
Before she could register what was happening, Arthur had turned her onto her back and was kissing her deeply. "Arthur!" she cried in mock protest as he moved on to nibble her ear. "We'll be late for work!"
"Don't worry," he said as he trailed kisses along her along her jaw line. "I cleared it with your boss."
Her laughter turned into a gasp as he entered her again.