It had been six weeks since Craig had spoken to his men and his memory was coming back a little each day . The guys had let him off easy and had not taken any of his
outbursts to heart and had just treated them for what they were ,bouts of frustration that he could do nothing about, something that was soon over ,and with an apology
thrown in ,were just as quickly forgotten .They helped him every day by telling him things that had happened on missions and sometimes he would remember some little
thing that was unimportant to anyone else but would mean a lot to him. Every thing that he remembered brought him closer to being the man that he had been before the
accident , but most of all he wanted to be, the man that Angel had known, had relied on and trusted but when he couldn't remember simple things the frustration would
return and so would the outbursts of temper. She told him that it didn't matter ,and so long as he was getting better she didn't care how long it took until his memory
returned completely ,It was good to have her back in his life again , she had never given up on him ,even when in the darker moments he had given up on himself.
She was always there to tell him things would get better , that all he had too do was have patience. She had faith and at the moment he needed to know that there was
someone who believed in him. She always seemed to know when he needed her, he never knew how she knew , she just did, and she was always there for him, a buffer
between him and his men so that when the arguments started she put herself in the middle and defused the situation before it got out of hand. She kept them all sane and
for that he was grateful. It was a surprise however when she walked into his office one morning and promptly asked
`How do you feel about taking a trip with me?
`Do you have anywhere in particular in mind or do we just hijack a jeep and run for the border? `He asked smiling
`Well I know where I'm going `,she answered `But you will just have to wait to find out, I take it this means you do want to come along then?
I would like nothing better , so long as I can get clearance from Major Freeman`, he told her`
Good `, she said` Because the boys have got a three day pass and you have got a week to do exactly what you want, already arranged`.
He laughed ,
` Well at least leave an address where they can reach us in an emergency `he said.
`No need no-one is going to need us for anything, if they get into trouble then this time the Sgt Major will have to bail them out`, she told him
The thought of the solitude spurred him on,
How soon can we leave?`, he asked
`Just as soon as your packed , my case is already in the jeep that the Major so kindly gave us for the week`, she told him
`How did you manage to pull this off `, he asked
She grinned,
`In the words of someone we both know , don't' ask baby. don't ask`.
He howled with laughter
`I'll be packed in thirty minutes and not a minute longer `.
He was back in twenty five.
` Just got to go and give the guys their usual lecture about staying out of trouble and getting back on time` he said `even though we both know they'll not pay any
attention to me, I feel it's my duty to try `. He grinned
`I'll take your bag out to the jeep, save us some time`, she told him as he headed upstairs.
Actor came out of the kitchen, smiled knowingly at her.
`That was easier than we thought it was going to be now wasn't it `, he said` Just as long as he doesn't change his mind at the last minute`
Oh he can't do that `Angel told him `I'd never allow it`.
Actor took the case from her as he saw Craig coming down the stairs,
`Try and keep them out of trouble , will you Actor , and don't let them hassle the Sgt. Major too much when you get back, please. Said Craig smiling `
Actor looked suitably hurt as if he would not dream of doing anything that Craig would disapprove of.
`I will do my very best Warden`,
Craig smiled knowing that he was fighting a losing battle, and that they would all be doing something that he would disapprove of by teatime. But he had decided not to let
that worry him , he was going to enjoy his few days away with Angel, see if they could find the closeness they had shared before. Maybe with some quiet time he might just
get some more of his memory back and could be the brother that she needed him to be, and take care of her as he used too ..He would have to wait and see, but one thing
was sure the time alone together would benefit the both of them, give them time to hopefully find some of the memories that they had both shared and maybe even make
some new ones that they could tell the guys about when they got back. He jumped into the jeep and smiling at her asked
`Where to then sis?`
`Just head North until I tell you to stop`, she said.
He was still laughing as he headed for the mansion gates .
…..
They drove for a couple of hours and were driving through beautiful country side when they rounded a corner in a small village and found the Pub
`You want to stop and have some lunch? we've been driving a while. he asked
`That would be great`, she said `why don't we find a table in the garden ? It's to nice a day to be cooped up inside`.
They sat and had lunch and talked about anything but the war, and even though there were soldiers coming and going all the time their main concern was enjoying each
others company, They spent a wonderful hour ,just the two of them,
`Do you know ?` he asked `That I keep expecting one of them to come running round that corner any minute, I can't believe that we actually got away without any
argument`
`I think that might have had something to do with the three day passes they got, wait until they get back and they realize we still have four more days away from them,
then the trouble will start and they will start grilling the Sgt Major as to our whereabouts`, she said
He laughed and pushed his chair back to get up , not looking behind him , he bumped into a soldier walking behind him carrying a tray of drinks.
Craig regained his balance and immediatelyapologised,
` Sorry Private totally my fault let me get another round in for you,`
The girls at the table started to giggle and his buddy said`
You should be more careful mate ,
They had obviously had a few drinks to many and so Craig tried again to make them see sense.
`Look `, he said `It was my fault and I've offered to get you some more drinks, so lets just leave it at that shall we? and then we can all just enjoy the rest of the day ,o.k.?
He knew that it just wasn't going too happen that way, they were spoiling for trouble and wanted to show off in front of the girls they had picked up.
`You think that just cos you're a Lt and a Yank that you can walk all over us, well you're wrong mate and we're going to teach you some manners`.
The soldier looked at the girls and then back at Craig, and as he looked back he brought his arm up towards Craig. The punch would have been good if it had landed but Craig
had trained men and saw it coming, he blocked it, grabbed the soldiers hand twisted it until the pain caused him to hit the floor then knocking him forward put his foot
against his neck making it impossible to move without causing himself more pain. His friend at the table decided that he would join in now that the Yank was busy and ran
towards Craig, He was knocked to the ground by a flying tackle from one of the M.P.s who just happened to be checking for any miscreants that were going to be late back
from leave
`We'll take if from here Lt. said the second one , saw what happened and we'll lock these two in the stockade until they've cooled off a little`
Craig looked at Angel,
`It's all right `,he said` It was all my fault let's just call it high spirits and forget about it then we can all just go our separate ways and enjoy what's left of our leave , all
right Sgt?.`
`Whatever you think is best Sir replied the Sgt.`
`Good , then we'll be on our way , thanks for the help`.
`Our pleasure Sir . Anytime.`
And with that they walked back to the bar ,making sure that they could keep an eye on things until the Lt. was safely in the jeep.
The girls looked at their dates.
You got off lightly there , he could have had you arrested`, said one of them
Craig's victim just stood looking at the disappearing jeep. He turned to his mate.
`Nobody treats me like that, nobody, and I don't care who he is, I'll get my own back`.
His companion watched him.
`Just leave it, we've got girls to entertain , far more important that one Yank Lt . that we'll probably never see again. and those M.P.s are going to keep an eye on us for the
rest of the day, let's not ask for any more trouble you don't really want to spend the rest of our leave in the stockade now do you?
Williams looked at his mate and then at his girl,
`No your right Bolton lets just enjoy our leave, besides there will be plenty of time to look him up later when they got back to London`,
`Oh come on mate , leave him`, said Bolton
As he turned to look at him Bolton saw a look of pure hatred on William's face and he knew that if he ever met Craig Garrison again it would mean trouble .
….
As they drove along he looked across at Angel.
`Are you alright?
She smiled at him
`I'm fine, so much for our quiet holiday, I thought were trying to do without excitement`.
He laughed
`Well from now on I promise it will be the most boring holiday you've ever had. How much further do we have to go anyway? he asked her
`Just keep going and we should be there in no time`, she said.
A few minutes later they arrived in one of the prettiest villages Craig had ever seen, it was like a picture postcard, with a village pond surrounded by trees and flowers
and a very picturesque pub , old fashioned cottages surrounded the green , all in all really beautiful and so peaceful.
`Oh Angel this is wonderful`, he said .
`Just keep driving`, she told him, `You haven't seen the half of it`.
The turned a corner onto a dirt track and drove for another two or three minutes and than as they rounded a bend in the road it was there.
`Oh Angel it's fantastic`, he said as he looked around him. In front of him was a lake with a small rowing boat tied to a jetty, as he turned to take in the rest of the view he
found a small cottage in a clearing surrounded by trees , it was so peaceful he immediately felt at home, All they could hear was the water lapping on the shore and the birds
in the trees behind the house.
`Well `,she said` this is ours for the next week so I hope you like it`.
`Oh Angel I do more than like it , it's just what I need , peace and quiet, Thank you honey it's just beautiful`,
She smiled at him
`Anything for you little brother , anything at all
Craig laughed.
,`I didn't know until this minute how much I needed to get away, oh I'm going to do nothing but relax all week`.
That is the general idea but just in case there are some fishing rods on the back porch so you can get up at the crack of dawn if you want to and sit and do nothing out
here.`.
`Oh this just gets better and better, `
He picked her up and hugging her swung her round and round ,`
Thank you Angel , thank you so much`,
She laughed ,
`Why don't you go and explore and I'll put the coffee on and then we'll sit outside and just watch the world go by for a while?
He sighed
`That would be wonderful`
She walked to the cottage and as she opened the door she turned , he was still where she had left him just standing there looking at the water. Actor had been right this was
just what he needed. They just had time to unpack their things and for him to sort through the fishing gear and settle himself down to a couple of hours fishing before the
evening set in. She sat with him, not saying a word , just enjoying the quiet , until he caught a large fish and together they struggled to get the net into the water to retrieve
it, getting caught up with each other and the line as she tried to help him , until eventually the line went slack and the fish, glad of it's freedom swam away.
They stood looking at each other
`,Well you messed that up didn't you?`, She said
.`I messed it up? Me? you're the one that can't follow orders`,
`Can too . If there given properly` ,she said .
`Oh so now I can't give orders properly, well we'll just see about that , can't give orders eh ?`
She looked at him,
`Run` he said
She stood still and watched him put his cup in the water and bring it out full.
`You wouldn't dare `. She giggled .
He just looked at her and repeated `Run`.
This time she didn't need telling twice and set off up the path with him in pursuit yelling at her
`You want to take it back yet ?. Admit you're useless at fishing and you'll stay dry `.
She stopped running , holding her side as the pain grabbed her , trying to breathe and laugh at the same time.
`All right I surrender, no more`
She dropped to her knees waiting for the pain to ease ,
`You're out of condition`, he said dropping to his knees beside her `Need more exercise`.
She looked at him and smiled
`And you, dear brother are so gullible,`
She tipped the cup he was still holding upside down so the water spilled all over his trousers, and was up and running again towards the cottage before he knew what had
happened. He took off after her and had no problem catching her and then picked her up struggling and carried towards the waters' edge She looked at his face and knew
at once what was about to happen.
`Craig Garrison don't you dare `.
He looked at her with a look of total innocence that would have made Actor proud ,and then just kept walking into the water until it was up to his knees
`All right `, she said `I'm sorry. I promise to listen next time, and follow your perfect orders `,
`Too late `, he said smiling `Far too late`, and he dropped her into the water and watched as she floundered about for a moment before she stood up
`You are no gentleman sir`, she said ,laughing and brushing her wet hair out of her eyes,
He picked he up and carried her to the bank, and set her down, then sat down beside her ,She laid on her back and looked up at the clear blue sky, and sighed happily.
He laid at her side then propped himself up on one arm and looked at her , still smiling.
`You want to tell me how you always know just what I need ? He asked`
Oh that`s easy, that`s all part of a big sisters` job, she smiled back.`
Just when exactly did you decide to adopt me anyway? he asked her`
She turned onto her side took the same stance as him and looked at him.
`Oh that was the first time I saw you, you'd just come out of hospital and David had asked you to come and stay with us until you were feeing better , do you remember
that? I knew then that you needed taking care of and so I decided that I would take on the job, and that you would fit into our family nicely with a bit of training`,
He laughed at her.
`Just like that?`
Yes just like that , and it is a decision I have not regretted once , come close a couple of timed though`.
They both burst in fits of giggles and laid back down on the grass
`Did I ever tell you thank you? he asked suddenly becoming serious .`
No you never did, , you were always just so ungrateful , sometimes I wonder why I put up with you`. She taunted
`Did you ever work it out ?he asked smiling
`Yeah, took a while but I got there ,I guess I just felt sorry for you`.
He laughed then,
`Wasn't anything to do with the fact that you grew to love me as much as I grew to love you then ?he asked
`Oh heavens no, where ever did you get a silly idea like that from`she said smiling at him
He held her hand
`I really don't know Angel , crazy of me to think that now wasn't it?`
`Absolutely `, she said , and kept looking at the sky
`So, fishing tomorrow ,how about you use a rod of your own instead of us sharing ,` he asked`
`If you're really sure that you can manage without my help I'll give it a go ,`she said
`I'll try`, he said smiling `How hard can it be?
…..
He awoke to a beautiful morning and not hearing any movement from her room decided to go for a run along the lakeside, he left her a note saying that he would be back in
about an hour and then they could have breakfast by the lake if she would like He felt more relaxed than he had for a long time and as always looked forward to his run, it
gave him a freedom and as much as he enjoyed Chief's company there were times when running alone was much more headed out and thought how much Chief would have
liked the solitude of this place , someday perhaps he would bring him , let him run with him , but for now the place was his alone and he was going to enjoy every minute of
this.
Angel woke and stretched , the sun lit up the room and she knew it was going to be another glorious day. She went to start breakfast and after finding the note decided that
coffee would do nicely until Craig got back from his run. It was only just seven o'clock so the chances were that he had only been gone half an hour. She stepped outside the
cottage and took in the view if the lake, it really was beautiful and so peaceful, all she could hear were the birds singing in the trees behind her. She sat in the swing on the
veranda and waited for him to return, she hadn't felt so peaceful in a while , what with being told that Craig was dead and then finding that while he was still alive after all ,
he had no idea who she was, the last weeks had been more stressful than she had ever believed possible. If it hadn't been for the guys giving her hope that things would
return to normal eventually ,she would have gone crazy with worry, but they had all been there for her in their own way and she felt grateful for all the support they had
given her. It was Actor who had come up with the idea of some time away for the two of them. Told her it would do them both good to spend some time together talking
about the family that they he was only now just beginning to remember. It was Actor who had known about the cottage, and had made all the arrangements ,leaving her with
the job of convincing Craig that it would be good to spend some time together and leave the army behind him for a few days , which in the end was much easier than either
of them thought. . As she stood up to get a refill of coffee she heard him call her name and waved to him , he returned her wave and made his way towards the cottage. He
was a little out of breath , saw that she had a little coffee left in he cup and took it from her and drained it,
`We can run to separate coffee cups you know`, she said, `You want to shower while I get breakfast?`
What delights have you for us today then? he asked`
How does bacon , eggs and toast sound?.
Where on earth did you get all that ? we haven't been down the village yet ,` he asked
`They were supplied by well-wishers`, she said` and the answer to your next question is` Don't ask`.
`I'm getting to feel more like a con every day ,I should have guessed that they had something to do with this ,but I didn't realize that you were getting as bad as them , I`m
definitely going to have to give them a good talking to when I get back about teaching you bad habits,` he said.
`Well if it bothers you that much I can always throw it to the fishes, she smiled
`No one is going to call me a spoil sport `, He said `So I suppose the only other thing to do is eat the evidence and keep them out of trouble, and it would be such a shame
to waste a good breakfast when they have so thoughtfully provided it for us , now wouldn't it?
She laughed .
`You have twenty minutes or it's fish bait `. She said laughing.
`Be back in fifteen `, he said and headed for the bathroom.
They had a relaxing breakfast together and once the dishes were done decided that a walk was in order to see what they could find for supper. It was a beautiful day and the
walk to the village down little country lanes was wonderful compared to racing around in London. They found a grocery store and bought a few things and then went in search
of the butchers getting just enough food for them for the next couple of days. They had decided that maybe tomorrow they would go into the next town and buy presents for
the guys, but for today more fishing was in order and as they walked back to the cottage they couldn't think of anything they would rather do.
As it was it took two days and no supplies left at all to prize them away from the cottage and into the jeep to take the drive into town . They thought about gifts for the
guys .Actor was easily sorted as Craig found a shop that stocked his tobacco, Casino was always writing to his family so they bought him a new pen , and they managed to
find a shop with a few bars of chocolate at extortionate prices to please Chief's sweet tooth. They thought that Goniff was going to be a problem until Angel saw a small
trinket box which Craig assured her was an ideal gift as Goniff just loved anything that he could pass on to his mother. With all the gifts sorted they decided that it would be
quicker if they split up and finished the rest of their shop and then they could get back to the cottage and arranged to meet back at the jeep .ten minutes later they were on
their way back to the village having agreed that lunch at the pub would round off the morning very nicely and then they could get settled down to fishing for the rest of the
day. It seemed unreal that they had been here for almost a week and that tomorrow would be their last day, Angel had not seen him so relaxed in a long time and knew that
this trip had done them both good, as they pulled up outside the cottage it felt as if they had come was the morning of their last day and Craig was awake earlier than usual
wanting this last run to be special , something that he could remember until he could get here again,
Angel came out of the bedroom
` I suppose you do know what time it is? she asked him , `
`Yeah , wanted to have a long run today,` he said
`Craig It's four o'clock in the morning, it's only just daylight `, she said ,
`You go back to bed and when I get back I'll do you breakfast in bed before we leave , how's that?`
I don't need telling twice , but don't even think of waking me up before seven or else`, she said.
As it was she was up at six thirty and had breakfast on the go for him when she had seen him heading back towards the cottage. They sat and ate in silence ,neither one of
them wanting to disturb the peace they had found here . Finally as they were drinking their last cup of coffee she reached in her pocket and brought out a small box.
`This is for you `, she said `It's nothing extravagant but it's something I liked and maybe it can be the start of some new memories for you just in case all the old ones take
a little while to come back. `
He opened the box and smiled
`It's beautiful Angel and a very appropriate reminder of our holiday, thank you`.
He stood up and went to his jacket and from the pocket took a small box and handed it to her.
`They say great minds think alike don't they` ?
She opened the box and smiled at him, `Oh Craig it's beautiful , I love it , thank you so much, `
She walked round the table and hugged him .
`Please help me to put it on1,
She turned round so he could fasten the chain round her neck ,
`Do you really like it ?` He asked .
`Craig I think it's beautiful , it will remind me always of the first holiday we shared together ,`she said as she looked in the mirror and fingered the fish shaped pendant that
hung round her neck and watched as the ruby eye sparkled in the sunlight.
He took out his keys and opening the box fastened the fish shaped key fob to his key chain,`
My first new memory , I will carry it with me every where he said quietly.
`I'll be sorry to leave this place , I found a lot of peace here `,
` Well we can always ask the landlord if we can come back sometime you know ,he is a personal friend of mine`
`I doubt that somewhere as beautiful as this is vacant for much of the year ,we'll probably not be able to get back until next year. ` He said.
`Oh I don't know ,she said, you could always try bribing him with a three day pass`,
He looked stunned and then the penny dropped ,
`Actor owns this place ? He asked`
Angel nodded.
`He found it one day when he was on leave and loved it so much he bought it ,very handy for romantic getaways apparently . She said
`You two planned this whole trip didn't you? .he asked`
` I just happened to mention that I thought you needed a holiday after all that you'd been through , and the next thing I know Actor has arranged for the two of us to use
this place, wouldn't take no for an answer ,said we both deserved a break and guaranteed that this was the place to get you to relax, so I talked to the Major and he agreed
to give you some leave ,and lets face it Actor wasn't wrong , this place is beautiful and it was just what you needed now wasn't it?`
No `, he said `It was what we both needed`. Why didn't you tell me ?He asked.
`I thought if you knew you wouldn't come , thought you'd find some excuse to stay, and I wanted to spend some time with you ,and you can't say it hasn't done you good,
that it hasn't helped you because we both know it has., and I would very much like to do this again wouldn't you? she asked him .
Craig walked over to the window, I have never felt so much at peace anywhere as I have here and I would love to come back , who knows maybe spend Christmas here if
that's o.k. with the landlord of course`.
Angel smiled ,
`I'm sure we can arrange something , maybe even some weekends too if I can bribe him , I think all he needs to know is that you feel better for being here, he worries about
you, they all do , not that they'll ever admit to it of course, that 's just not done`.`
No absolutely not, but it would be nice to pay them back sometimes `. He said
Angel laughed ,
For goodness sake don't tell them that you'd never know what they'd get up to , just do right by them ,keep them alive , that's all they really need , everything else they can
sort out for themselves.
He nodded ,
` Yeah you're right, Ok you ready to leave then? `, he asked`
As ready as I'll ever be `, she said`
Good then let's go ,and who knows maybe they've managed to stay out of trouble this week and I won't have any problems to sort out when we get back`
They looked at each other and smiled , shook their heads and in unison ,
` No way `, they both said together.
They left the cottage laughing both knowing that they would return.
That is of course with the landlords permission