Get a Room
For Joodiff, and the entire OHT, getting to know you all has been fantastic, long may it continue. So this was the challenge, set by Joodiff to me, it has turned into a bit of a gone with the wind style epic, at 10,274 words, hoping this will be the first of two fics I post today. Merry Christmas to you all, thank you for the reviews you have given me, long may the work continue into 2012, for all the WtD fangirls, and special thanks to JASU78, for the beta.
Disclaimer - I own nothing, I borrow everything.
Story as below.
Rated M for slight adult content and language. Enjoy.
Boyd/Grace set somewhere between 'Pieta' and 'Harbinger', a setting outside London, a broken down vehicle, a minor injury, a relative of his and a B/G snog accidentally witnessed by Spencer (in any order you choose). 10000 words max, rated no higher than T. Off ya go! :D
Spencer's Thoughts
It's Friday night, work is finished for the weekend, and tonight is gonna be a good night, oh yeah, tonight's gonna be a good good night, me and you Annabel, a few drinks, a bit of a dance baby, and then a bit of Spencer loving is coming your way. Pulling his car up outside his home, singing to the music on the car stereo, unable to conceal the smile that was plastered on his face, he stepped out of the car and turned to lock the door, it was then that he saw it. He couldn't believe it, the bloody brown manilla file sticking out from under the passenger seat of his car.
"Argh! Fuck it!" He shouted as he slammed the car door. This is not good, not good at all. What if I never saw it? I didn't notice it, it's not my fault, it fell under the seat, it's not my fault I can't be blamed - argh, that's not gonna stop him kicking my arse all over the bloody office though is it? Bastard. Fucking bastard bollocks, I'm gonna have to drive back to the office. Fucking shit, like I'm not late enough already.
"Fucking, fuck!" He shouted again, opening the car door. He got in and started the engine, picking the file up off the car floor and placing it on the passenger seat where it should have been all along - perhaps then it wouldn't have slipped his mind. He drove back to the office as fast as he could, tempted to put on the blues and two's, but unwilling to incur Boyd's wrath if he got caught using them for that purpose. So he just put his foot down, slowing only when he knew he was within the lens of a speed camera. He parked his car and grabbed the file, looking at his watch as he did so.
"Not bad Spencer, 30 minutes, for a journey that takes 45 on a quiet day, not bad at all my son." He said to himself, as he walked away from the car. The office was dark, not completely, but darker than normal - the bullpen was empty, the PC's closed down, and the place was empty and silent, even Boyd's office looked empty, luckily, at least he wouldn't get caught. He grabbed the handle of Boyd's office door and swung it open without hesitation.
Boyd's Thoughts
Boyd sat on the sofa of his office. The light was off, just the soft office lamps lighting the room delicately, a coffee in his hand, his shoes kicked off, he was relaxing before the long journey ahead of him. He was also killing time whilst he waited for her, the object of his desire and affection.
God she's amazing, every time I look at her I get a feeling in the pit of my stomach; I can't explain it, but I want her all the time. I'm not some sex mad teenager, I'm not even a sex mad almost pensioner, but I can't get her out of my mind. She's in my thoughts from the moment I open my eyes in the morning, till the minute I close them at night. Maybe it's...nah, it's too soon to be thinking like that, I mean I'm only just getting around to introducing her to my family. Oh shit, what am I doing taking her to meet them? Half the time I don't even like them myself, and now I'm going to let them loose on the woman who is on my mind every waking minute of the day. Oh well, it was good whilst it lasted, if she liked me before she met my siblings, she won't afterwards. As if on cue, here she is, standing in the doorway of my office. I see her mouth moving, but pay absolutely no attention to what she is saying, I just sit and smile at her like the mindless idiot that I have become.
"Sorry, what did you say?" I ask her.
"Are you ready to go?" She replies.
"Five more minutes to finish my coffee," I reply, I hold my hand out to her for her to come and sit with me, and she does. But then it starts, just as it always does. I get a whiff of her perfume, the feel of her soft skin as her hand gently brushes against mine, and the smile, that smile, the one I'm pretty sure she uses just for me, the one that says it all, the one that says 'I'm Dr Foley very prim and proper, very professional', with just a hint of 'I want to rip your shirt open and kiss your chest.' I want to leave little love bites in all the places that only we would see them, and now I'm trying to ignore it, that desire to kiss her, but I fail. I turn my head and kiss her and within minutes we're lying on the sofa together - my shirt is open and her hands are gently scratching my skin, more of a tickle than a scratch, but it sends shock waves up my spine. Our lips are locked together, in a...Oh god this feels so good, her skin is so soft, her lips against mine, mm, fuck this is amazing. I want her so much, so much more than I should, we're still at work. My tongue clashes with hers as we kiss, oh god, we need to stop.
Think about something else, oh shit, I'm getting a hard on. I need to stop, we need to stop, but she seems as eager to continue as I do. Oh shit, no, don't do that oh shit she's done it, her hand is on my crotch. Shit, Grace stop, please stop it, don't touch me or I'll have to have you here and now. My hand moves inside her top and I find her breast with ease. We've done this so many times that I know by heart what it is that drives her crazy and what it is that just drives her away, and I know damn well that she loves me touching her breasts. Oh god what am I saying, she loves it, I love it, she has beautiful breasts.
"What the fuck!"
Grace's Thoughts
Everything done, PC closed down, nothing else for it, nothing more to do to waste time, I'm going to have to go and tell him I'm ready to go. Oh shit, what am I saying? Why did I agree to this? Families, I hate families... well no, I don't hate families, I just hate meeting families - other peoples families, partners families. That first meeting, the uncomfortable and annoying silences, the being polite to people. Shit, I have an entire weekend of this, why the hell did I agree, and why the hell did he agree? He doesn't even like them most of the time, he's always moaning about them. Don't worry, he says, they're all really lovely, just after I've heard him calling his brother a pretentious prick on the phone. Now I have to spend a weekend in the company of his two brothers and his sister, and their families - argh, this is going to be a long weekend, but we've agreed to go, so no backing out now. The luggage is in the car and I know he's waiting in his office for me, it's 9.45pm and we said we wanted to leave by 10pm, so here goes. I can see him from the doorway, relaxing on the sofa in his office with his shoes kicked off, a coffee in his hand. He smiles at me, and I ask him if he's ready to go, but he stares blankly at me.
"Sorry, what did you say?"
"Are you ready to go?" I repeat the question.
"Five more minutes to finish my coffee," he replies whilst holding out his hand for me join him on the sofa, so I sit next to him, and smile at him. It's just a smile, but he gives me that look in return - the look that says so much more than it's meant to, the look that says those five more minutes could take a bit longer. So then it happens, he kisses me, and then again, and then we're lying on his sofa, our arms around each other, and he's kissing me, kissing me hard, his tongue dancing against mine in the way that I love so much. His hands are every where. Oh shit we really should stop this, we really shouldn't go any further. Oh god my hand's on auto pilot and it's instantly drawn to his trousers, it's touching the outline of his...oh shit he's got a semi, we really need to stop this while he still can. He's rubbing his foot up and down my leg, oh no no no, don't do that, he knows I love that. Oh shit, he's done it, his hand is inside my top, he's inside my bra, god he's so good at that, oh god we need to stop, oh god I don't want to, I want to touch him, I want him out of those trousers, I want...
"Oh my god!"
Spencer's View
Oh fuck, um, what should I do, should I turn and run, pretend I didn't see? Don't be stupid how could I not have seen? Oh my god, I'm frozen to the spot, for fucks sake, oh god his hand is inside her top, oh shit hers is...oh for fucks sake, this is disgusting, it's like catching your parents at it, no actually I think it's worse, it's like catching your grandparents dong it. I'm trying to think, trying to move, but my feet won't fucking work, I need to get the hell out of here. He shouts and suddenly my feet work. I drop the file on the table, turn, and walk away as fast as I can.
Boyd's View
Movement, out of the corner of my eye. I see it, but I ignore it cos her hand is running over my cock - Jesus, I'm already semi hard, what is she doing to me. Movement again, the door swings open, and he's there, standing in the room, his eyes staring at us. What the fuck? What is he doing, why doesn't he leave? Oh fuck my hand is inside her bra, I can't remove it without him seeing, but if I leave it where it is he might not notice. Ah shit, her hand is still rubbing over my trousers, she hasn't seen him. Oh for god's sake, I need to shout at him, to get rid of him.
"What the fuck!" I manage to shout, but before I can tell him to fuck off he turns and runs, but now she has seen him.
"Oh my god!" She exclaims, hurriedly removing her hand from its location and trying to remove my hand from inside her bra.
Grace's View
Oh god he's doing that thing he does with my nipples, he knows what it does to me, he knows it turns me on beyond all reason. Oh god I want him, I want him now. Why has he stopped, why isn't he moving? I know what will get him moving, I'll give him a little squeeze. It works, his hand is doing its magic again, and his foot is rubbing up and down my leg. Oh my word I need him. Oh now what, he's stopped again, what's he looking at?
"What the fuck!" Who's he shouting at?
"Oh my god!" It's Spencer. He's standing in the doorway, I have my hand on Boyd's semi erect penis, he has his hand inside my bra. His shirt's undone and untucked, both of us are breathless, I think it's a pretty safe assumption to make that there is no other possible explanation for this situation other than the correct one. Oh fuck.
In an instant Spencer's gone. Boyd jumps up, grabs his shoes and tries to run whilst buttoning up his shirt. Spencer is back at his car and in it by the time Boyd catches up with him, banging on the boot of the car to stop him from driving off. Spencer stopped the car and got out, slamming the door as he did so.
"I do not want to discuss this." He said sternly to his boss.
"It's not what you think, I mean what it looks like."
"Bollocks man, that was exactly what it looked like, and I am trying my hardest not to think about it."
"Okay, so it was what it looked like, I'm sorry, we got a little but carried away, things got a bit more heated than they should have, but it isn't like that."
"Like what? You're my boss, a man I look up to, and your lying on the sofa in your office with a woman I respect, groping her like she's some five dollar hooker off the streets, no better than a whore."
Despite the advantage he had by way of his age and fitness, he never saw it coming. He didn't see the arm being raised or the fist being swung, he saw nothing until he felt the sting of the punch that landed square on his nose, causing blood to spurt forth from it, and him to tumble backwards onto the bonnet of his car.
"What the fuck!" He exclaimed using his hand to try and stop the blood.
"If you ever use those words to describe her again, I'll knock your head clean off your shoulders. I don't care how fit you are, or how young you are."
"Well how would you describe what I just walked into?"
"Two people who happen to be in a relationship getting a little carried away on the office sofa."
"In a relationship, are you joking?" He finished the sentence with a little laugh.
"I'm sorry did I say something funny?"
"No, not funny, absolutely fucking hilarious!"
"Oh really, and why is it so fucking hilarious?"
"You and Grace in a relationship, that is fucking hilarious. Why would she have anything to do with you? You're damaged goods Boyd, I know it, and Grace certainly knows it, everyone fucking knows it. She's worth ten of you."
"You know what? You are absolutely right, she is too good for me! She is everything I am not, patient, understanding, calm, loving, beautiful, caring, and a lot more, but all those things are the reason that she can see through the damage and find it in her heart to be with me."
"You'll destroy her, just like you destroy everything good and decent in your life."
"That's enough Spence, more than enough." A voice from behind them spoke. "I am with him because I want to be. He is a good and decent man, and he deserves to be happy, just like everyone else in this world. He never destroyed anything, if anything it has almost destroyed him, but it didn't, he's still holding his head up and doing his best in life.I'm going to do my best to ensure he carries on holding his head up, he has nothing to be ashamed of and I won't have you treat him like this."
"Oh whatever Grace, you know I'm right, and eventually you will wake up and realise that he has dragged you down with him."
"No Spencer, you couldn't be more wrong. He won't need to drag me with him, because where ever he goes I will be standing by his side, walking with him, hand in hand."
"Oh now I see, it's a sympathy shag, you're trying to make him feel better after he lost his son, well not so much lost as drove away."
Grace walked up to him slowly and slapped him hard across the face. "I know you're annoyed by what you walked in on just now, but that does not excuse your behaviour. I'm with him because I love him, and if you'd walked in five minutes later you'd have probably seen a lot more than you did, so think yourself lucky."
"Lucky? Yeah cos I really need the image of my grandparents fucking on the sofa running through my mind."
"Tread carefully Spencer, I think the world of you, but that could be about to change."
Spencer turned and leant on his car, his nose still throbbing from Boyd's punch and his face still stinging from Grace's slap, he rubbed his cheek slightly. "Why do women always slap so hard? You hit like my bloody Mum."
"She sounds like a good woman."
"Yeah she is, and so are you. I'm sorry, to both of you, I can act like a prat sometimes."
"Yep, I'd agree with that."
"Oh come on, you have to agree it was a bit of shock, it was like catching my parents at it."
"Well we didn't know you'd come back at that time of night, and it wasn't exactly planned."
"No details, please, I am traumatised enough."
"Well we have to get going anyway, we have a long drive ahead of us" Boyd interrupted.
"You going somewhere nice?"
"Boyd's taking me to Cornwall to meet his family."
"Meet the family, it must be serious then."
"I've not been this serious about anyone in a long time." Boyd replied, smiling at Grace as he did so.
Spencer held his hand out to him, "Well good luck to you both, and I'm sorry for acting like an idiot."
"Thanks Spence, it means a lot to us that you guys approve, not that anyone else knows yet."
"Don't worry they won't hear it from me."
"Cheers, and um, sorry about the um." He used his fist to show what he meant.
"Ah no problem, women like men with a few war wounds anyway."
"Ah yeah, how are things with the lovely Annabel?"
"Yeah going good, if I ever get to see her this evening."
"Yeah you get going."
"Thanks, have a safe journey and a good weekend. I'll see you Monday."
They stood together and watched him leave, before she turned to him, "You shouldn't have hit him, violence is not the answer."
"But you hit him."
"That's different."
"Why is it?"
"Because I was defending you."
"So was I. Defending you, I mean."
"It's still wrong."
"There's not a snowflake in hells chance that I am going to win this argument or understand the logic behind what you're saying is there?"
"Nope, none whatsoever." She smiled at him and took hold of his hand. "Come on then, lets get this over with."
"Oh you need to get it over with do you?"
"You know what I mean."
"Are you nervous about meeting my family?"
"Hmm, yes."
"Why?"
"Because they are your family, and it's all new, and, oh I don't know."
"Grace they're nice people, the only one that might be a little trying is Chrissie, and that's just because I'm her big brother and she hasn't met any of my girlfriends since Mary. She's a bit protective."
"Is that what I am? Your girlfriend?"
"Yeah, aren't you?"
"I don't know, it feels a long time since I've been a girl anything."
"Okay, so you're my partner, is that better?"
"Yes, a lot."
"Okay, so shall we go?"
They got in the car and started on their long journey. They didn't expect to arrive at their destination until the early hours, so had planned a couple of breaks along the way - Boyd had stocked the car with some sugary food and drink in case either of them got tired. Grace had said she would share the driving, and although he agreed, he had no intention of getting her to drive. It was dark, the weather wasn't good, and some of the roads they would be travelling were almost dirt tracks, he'd made the journey many times and knew the way, so he planned to do all the driving.
The Boyd's
Boyd was the eldest of his siblings, he had two brothers, Alex and James, and a sister Christina, or Chrissie as she was known.
Alex
Alex had moved to Cornwall when he first got married many years ago, and ran his own pub, with bed and breakfast facilities in the middle of Bodmin moor. They had based it on Jamaica Inn, both in appearance and name. Peter had told Alex about his new relationship a few months ago, and Alex had invited him to bring Grace down for the weekend. He had a room for them to stay in, and he had also suggested they invite James and Chrissie and their families along too. Alex had been married almost thirty years, and had two daughters, Chloe, 24, and Rhianne, 16. The eldest had finished university and was now living back with her parents working in their pub, whilst she decided what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. The younger girl, Rhianne, was a bit of a rebel, she had left school at 16 and decided not to do A-levels or go to university - instead she worked in a local factory and spent her evenings out clubbing with her friends. They figured, or rather hoped, that eventually she would come to her senses and continue with her education, so for now, they let her have a free reign and do what she liked.
James
Boyd's second youngest brother James, had followed his older brother into the police force, and he was now a uniformed sergeant with the Cornish constabulary. After the loss of both their parents at an early age, both James and Chrissie followed Alex to Cornwall, deciding that they wanted the same type of idyllic and quiet life that he had, rather than the hectic and busy lifestyles they had in London. Big brother Peter was a city boy, always had been and always would be, but for his siblings life in the country was good. James had been married and divorced twice, and had no children, he had been with his current partner, Sally, for five years now, and they seemed very happy.
Chrissie
Chrissie was not only the baby of the family, she was also the only girl, and as such had always been a little spoiled by her three older brothers. Even now in her forties, she could still wrap them around her little finger, especially Peter. There was a big age gap between the eldest and youngest, 17 years to be exact, so he had been like a second father to her throughout her life, especially after the loss of their father, when she was just 14. When their mother died just 4 years later, he had asked her to live with him, but she chose to move to Cornwall with James, and live with Alex instead. He couldn't deny that he was a little upset by her decision, but he understood, they were both young, and in order to get over their loss they both needed a change of scenery. Chrissie, very much like her niece Rhianne, decided against further education, and worked for her brother in his pub until she married a couple of years later. She had married at twenty and he was the proudest man in the world when she asked him to give her away. Her husband Tony was of afro-Caribbean descent, and was 10 years older then Chrissie, together they had 4 children: Tony Jr 20, Lara 18, Jodi 15 and the baby, Leigh aged 8.
The Family
As families go, despite the loss of their parents, they were all pretty stable people. Peter was the most highly strung and damaged out of them all, the loss of his son had hit him hard and they had all tried to be there for him, but he had shunned them all, tried to deal with it on his own. In fact even now, a year on, he still hadn't spoken to them about it. They had all grieved for Luke, he was, after all, their nephew, but he had not turned to his family for support. Instead, he had turned to the woman who had made him promise not to exclude her when he needed support.
A Promise Kept
He kept that promise and late one night a couple of months after Luke's funeral, he had turned up on her doorstep, looking unshaven and like he'd been living rough himself. The designer suits and shoes had been replaced by scruffy looking jeans and trainers, the tailored coat replaced by a hoodie, his hair was longer than normal, his beard not neatly trimmed as it usually was. But he was there, on her doorstep, looking like he needed a bath, like he hadn't slept since the funeral, and like the loneliest and saddest man in the world.
She ran him a bath and sorted him out a robe to put on whilst she washed his clothes. He didn't say a lot to start with, just that he was fine, that he'd been away, he didn't say where or who with, truth be told she wasn't sure he even knew where he'd been, or who with. She made him a hot drink and a sandwich and then let him sleep on her sofa. He slept for hours, but it was a restless sleep, he constantly fidgeted, and turned, moaning as he did so. It was hours later when he woke up, she had washed and neatly folded his clothes, and left them on the chair by the sofa. He stayed for days, almost a week, without really saying anything. He just sat and stared, and she let him. Then towards the end of that first week, he started to talk, to tell her how he felt, and she sat and she listened, and talked back to him, counselling him in the way a friend does.
Three weeks later he was still with her, still sleeping on her sofa, still living in the same jeans and top that she washed and dried for him on a daily basis. She didn't want to tell him to go home for clean clothes, she was too afraid that he wouldn't come back. Eventually he did go, he went home, he got clean clothes and then he came back, and that was how it was for a while - some days he would talk, some days he wouldn't, or couldn't, and then it happened. She wasn't expecting it, I don't think he was either, but it happened, and Peter Boyd finally let out that grief and cried for what seemed like an eternity. She came home from a shopping trip to find him curled up on the floor crying like a baby, wailing, and nothing she could do could ease that pain he was feeling. She sat next to him, and put her arms around him, and he clung to her, and for the next few days that's how it went - he would sit and stare, and then he would cry and she would hold him and soothe him, and eventually the tears stopped, and gradually, little by little, he dragged himself back to his feet and started to get on with his life again. Every day from then on, she could see a little bit of the old Boyd return, slowly but surely.
So here they are, 12 months on from Luke's funeral, and they're a couple. They practically live together, and as with all new relationships, they are all over each other at any given opportunity, including in the office after everyone else has gone home. Although on reflection, they both admitted that it probably wasn't a good idea to be at it on the sofa in his office at any time of the day or night. Once he even tried to cop a feel in a lift, which she berated him severely for, once she'd managed to stop him, that is. She should have known what would happen tonight, his favourite thing to do when they were alone was to lay on the sofa with her, and it always ended the same way.
The Journey
So, it's midnight, and they've been on the road for two hours. Grace is dozing in the passenger seat, and he is driving. Good job I don't need a navigator, he thinks to himself, but he can't help the small smile that escapes his lips at the sight of her asleep, her head bobbing about with the motion of the car. A sweet wrapper still lay in her hand from the last sweet she had unwrapped and popped into his mouth. They are on the motorway at the moment, and the traffic is minimal, so he puts his foot down, as he knows full well that when they hit the smaller roads his speed will be limited. He hears her moan and wake up as he hits a pot hole in the road, and knows full well she'll moan about his speed.
"How fast are you going?" She says as if on cue.
"Not that fast, anyway the roads are empty, we may as well take advantage."
"Yeah, but I would quite like to get there still alive."
"Do you want to stop for a coffee?" He asks her, changing the subject.
"Do you?" She replies.
"I'm okay, I'd rather trudge on, but I will if you want to."
"No. I'm okay, carry on, that way we may not be too late getting there. Does he not mind that we won't get there until about 3am?"
"At this rate it might be 2am, but no he doesn't mind, he has guests staying so there's usually someone up and around, either him or Katherine, or one of the girls."
"And when will the others arrive?"
"They'll come over tomorrow, they're not staying over, they don't live that far away."
"Are they all coming, kids as well?"
"Yep, it'll be nice, you'll like them, and we'll get some time for ourselves. I'll take you out onto the moors and find some lonely little corner that we can have to ourselves for a while."
"Do you ever think of anything else? Was it not bad enough that we got caught by Spence earlier, does that not put you off at all?"
"Honestly? No."
"Well it should, we're not kids Boyd."
"No I know we're not, but I just..."
"You just what?"
"I can't help myself, every time I see you I want to, well you know."
"Every time you see me?"
"Yeah."
"No you don't."
"I do, I'm serious Grace, I get a hard on every time I think about us doing it."
"Well then I suggest we invest in a cold shower at the office."
"It will fade, it's just new isn't it,? At the moment I can't hold you in my arms without wanting to kiss you, and then when I kiss you I want to touch you, and it just kind of snowballs, like earlier."
"You need to show a little more restraint then, don't you."
"I have no control over it Grace, my penis has a mind of its own. Oh god it's happening now, I'm getting a boner Grace, we need to stop, I need some relief." He laughed at the end of his sentence.
She tutted at him but then laughed with him, "You are incorrigible."
"I know, I'm sorry. But on that note there is this nice little quiet lay-by up ahead, dark, secluded and never anyone in it, no one would catch us in there."
"Concentrate on the driving Boyd." She replied sternly.
"Yes dear." He said reaching over and touching her hand with his affectionately.
By 1am they had hit the smaller roads that would lead them onto Bodmin moor, and eventually to Alex Boyd's pub, The Smuggler's Haunt. It was in the middle of Bodmin moor, and five miles from the nearest village, but despite that it was a very successful and well established business that was always busy, and during the height of the tourist season they were usually fully booked.
Bodmin moor at night was darker than dark, and a place you wouldn't want to be stranded, so it was with great relief when in the distance they could see the lights of a building. It was 2.30am, and the building they could see was The Smuggler's Haunt pub, as predicted it had been a long and tiring journey and they had done it without stopping along the way. Grace had taken the occasional nap, but for the better part of the journey had remained awake and keeping him company. He parked the car in the car park at the side of the pub, and helped Grace from the car, the car park was poorly lit and had cobbled paving, so was not the easiest place to negotiate if you were not used to it.
The arrival
Before they could knock on the door it opened and they were greeted by the youngest of Alex's daughters.
"Uncle Peter, it's so lovely to see you."
"Hi, how are you?"
"I'm really good thanks, how are you?"
"I'm great thanks, this is Grace, Grace this is my niece Rhianne"
"Hello." Grace said to the young girl.
"Hi Grace, it's really nice to meet you."
"You too." Grace replied to the pretty young woman.
Boyd led the way inside the pub and was instantly greeted by a man who Grace could only describe as his double, the same broad shoulders and dark hair, that same deep voice, although Alex's had slightly Cornish edge to it after 30 years in the county. She was quite surprised to see Boyd hug his brother, he was not an overly demonstrative man, not even with her when in the company of others, so to see him this way with his brother was a a surprise.
He put his arm around her, and drew her to him, "Alex this is Grace, Grace this is my little brother Alex."
"It's nice to meet you." Grace said.
"Nice to meet you too Grace." He replied. "So you're the one who's finally calmed him down are you?"
"Ha, I don't think anyone could calm him down."
"Yeah you're probably right." He replied with a smile.
"Can I get you a drink or do you want to go straight up to your room?"
"Uh, I think we'll head straight upstairs mate, thanks, but it's been a long drive." Boyd replied.
"Yeah no problem, go on up to room 6, give me your car keys and I'll bring your luggage up."
"Cheers." He replied and handed the keys to Boyd the younger. He opened the door to the stairway and ushered Grace through first. "It's the first floor and up on the left," he said, placing his hand affectionately on the small of her back as they ascended the stairs to the bedrooms, and guided her into room number 6.
"I am exhausted." He said to her whilst yawning, as they walked into the tastefully decorated double room with en suite bathroom.
"I did have a fear they may give us separate rooms."
"Haha." He laughed out loud, his deep baritone echoing throughout the room, "They're not my parents, Grace."
"It was just a thought." She said with a smile.
He slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him, "You make me laugh."
"Glad I'm good for something."
"Oh you most certainly are good for many, many things, and by the way, nothing would have kept me in a separate room from you tonight."
"Whoa! Down boy, It's nearly 3am, I'm exhausted and I need my beauty sleep before I meet the rest of the Boyd clan tomorrow."
"No way do you need beauty sleep, you're gorgeous."
"Flattery will get you no where Peter, I'm tired." She replied with a yawn, and kissed him, before pulling away and sitting on the bed.
Pre-Breakfast
She managed to keep him happy with a late night kiss and cuddle, before they both fell asleep exhausted. The following morning she woke to a noise in the room, looking over she could see him walking around wearing nothing but a towel. "What time is it?" She asked him.
"8.30, did you sleep okay?"
"8.30, I've only had five hours sleep, oh god."
"We're only here for the weekend, you can't spend it asleep."
"Why? I like spending my weekends asleep."
"Because I want to show you around, take a walk on the moor, maybe even drive to the coast, and then we have the rest of my family coming over later. Jamaica Inn's not far from here either."
"Didn't they make a film there once?"
"Yeah I think so. Anyway, so are you up for it or what?"
"Up for what?"
"Haha, very good Doctor Foley, but for once I am not talking about sex, that can wait, until tonight at least."
"Oh, so I'm expected to walk on the moors, drive to the coast, look over some old inn where some b list actor once made a film, meet and have dinner with your family, and then have sex."
"Yeah, something like that, well we could leave out the bit about the inn."
"Very funny Boyd."
"Get up Grace."
"You sure you wouldn't rather come back to bed for a while?"
"Nice try Grace, I know what you're up to."
"What?"
"Enticing me back into bed with the promise of sex, cos you know damn well I'll sleep for another couple of hours afterwards."
"That wounds me Peter."
"True though, isn't it?"
"Yes, it's true, I need sleep Peter."
"You can sleep later, come on, get up."
"Okay." She relented and pulled the covers off her self.
After Breakfast
Boyd managed to convince Grace to go on a walk with him on the moors, they took the car and drove to a local beauty spot before walking along the recommended path, hand in hand, as they did when they weren't around the people that knew them. They were dressed warmly, wearing jeans and trainers, not the usual attire for either of them, but then, they didn't usually go for walks on Bodmin moor. After an hours walk they found a spot to sit down. The area was quite isolated, but then the moors were usually quite isolated at this time of year, you didn't get many people walking the moors in November. Grace sat cross legged on the ground and Boyd sat next to her, his legs stretched out in front of him, leaning back on his hands, typical confident Boyd style. His face took on a more serious look, and Grace looked at him with concern.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, I um, I used to bring Luke here, when he was younger. He loved it, we used to borrow a couple of bikes from Alex and go off riding for the day, take a picnic with us. He loved the wild life, the pony's and the rabbits and stuff, we even saw the occasional adder."
"Good times?"
"Very, he was happy then, it was just me and him, all the time in the world, nothing to come between us. At home there was always something, always a call or a knock at the door." He moved and rested his head in her lap, and looking up at her he placed his hand on her face. "Did you mean it?"
"Mean what?"
"When you were shouting at Spence, you told him you loved me."
Grace nodded her head before she spoke, "I did, I didn't mean for it to come out like that, but I did mean, it, I love you." She placed her hand on his hair and gently ran her fingers over it.
"I love you too." He sat up and sat behind her sliding his hands around her waist and pulling her back flush against his stomach, kissing her neck as he did so. "You know we could do practically anything here and no one would see us."
"You're so predictable Boyd."
"Why am I?"
"Because you're a man, I guess."
"Sexism is an ugly thing Grace."
"Not as ugly as you trying to get your leg over on the middle of Bodmin moor in November."
"Now who's wounding who? All I did was make an observation as to the fact that you could get away with anything here and no one would see."
"Yeah whilst rubbing your beard against my skin and kissing my neck softly."
"That's just affection."
"Really, so what is it that's pressing against my back."
"I can't be held responsible for the fact that you turn me on so much I get an erection at inconvenient moments."
"Good come back, and by the way, no chance."
"Thank you, and why not, no one can see us."
"I'm freezing my arse off fully dressed if you think I'm gonna lay here half naked to please you then you've got another thing coming."
"You can go on top." He whispered into her ear.
"I know they say god loves a tryer, but you have no chance Boyd so give up now."
"What about a blow job?"
"Right then, time to go!" She said loudly and got up leaving him still sat there.
He got up with a groan and ran to catch her up, grabbing her hand and holding it again as they walked along. The walk back to the car didn't seem to take that long, and they quickly got inside, trying to stay warm. Boyd put the keys in the ignition and turned them, but instead of the normal roar into action his luxury Audi usually made, it made a half hearted attempt at starting, and then… nothing. It did the same the second and third times he turned the key.
"Oh shit!" He exclaimed.
"What's wrong?"
"It's out of petrol."
"What?"
"It's out of petrol, I meant to fill it up last night, but we were so tired I just drove on. I thought I'd do it this morning, but I forgot, fuck it."
"You're a bloody policeman, you can't run out of petrol, you're supposed to be organised and prepared for anything."
"I'm a policeman, not a bloody boy scout."
"So what are we going to do now?"
"I'll call Alex, ask him to come and rescue us."
"Great, so we can't even put the heater on."
Boyd had already hit the dial button on his phone as he continued to speak to her, "don't worry, I've got plenty of ways to keep you warm."
She pulled a face at him, a false smile that indicated she wasn't amused.
The Wait
"How long's it been now?"
"Half an hour, it won't be much longer now."
"Good I'm bloody freezing."
"Come here then."
"No, I'm not talking to you, this is all your fault."
"Oh, so you'd rather freeze to death than have a cuddle from me to keep warm."
"Yes."
Boyd reached his arm around her back and pulled her towards him. "You may want to freeze to death, but I don't, so put up and shut up." As her face touched his he jumped slightly, "bloody hell, you really are freezing."
"I told you I was."
"My poor baby." He replied sarcastically. "Put your face against my neck, I'll get you warm again," he replied, rubbing her arm with his hand. After ten minutes without any speaking, he was convinced she'd nodded off. "Are you still awake?"
"Mmm, it just feels nice and warm here, I don't want to speak or move."
"I told you I'd warm you up."
"Yeah but that usually means one thing with you."
"Not always, admittedly I do seem to have a constant hard on when I'm with you, but I can sometimes manage to be in your company without you being flat on your back."
Grace's body started to shake as she began to laugh against his shoulder.
"Do you like it here?" He asked her.
"Yeah it's nice." She replied lifting her head from his shoulder.
"I mean, really like it."
"Yeah, as I said it's nice."
"I could do this Grace."
"Do what?"
"Live here, the peace and quiet, the country side, the wild life, everything seems so much slower and calmer, how would you feel about moving here?"
"Well, I don't know, it's a bit sudden."
"I know! I'm sorry!"
"Where is this coming from?"
"I don't know, I guess...I guess I just look at Alex's life and I think, you know what? That's what I want, I want to step back and enjoy what time I have left."
"Bloody hell Boyd you make it sound as if you're dying, you're not...you're not ill are you?"
"No I'm fine, but I'm not getting any younger, I have you in my life, and I don't want to spend the next few years working myself into an early grave. I want to spend it doing things like we've done today."
Grace interrupted him. "What, freezing our arses off in a car?"
He gave her a exasperated look. "Damn it Grace, you know that's not what I mean. I want to spend the rest of my life in the company of the woman I love, I want to wake up with you and not have to drive separate cars to work so that no one finds out we're sleeping together. I don't want to drive to work at all, I want to have a long lie in and then bring you breakfast in bed."
"You're talking about retirement?"
"Yes I'm talking about retirement."
"Do you not think that perhaps you're just feeling like this because we're here? Retirement might be okay for the first couple of months, but what happens when you're fed up with having breakfast in bed, when you've done all the local walks and decorated the house, when one day blends into the next, and you wonder what would have happened if you hadn't taken retirement before you were pushed."
"But that's part of the problem isn't it, I'm approaching 60, and sooner or later I will be pushed. I just think maybe it would be better to plan this and leave on my terms rather than theirs."
"I think you need to put a lot more thought into this."
"But could you do it?"
"Are you saying could I? Or will I?"
"Both."
"Could I? Yes I could, it's lovely, I like it and I could happily live the quiet life down here, with you. Will I? I don't know, as I've said I think we need to think about this very carefully before we make any major decisions."
"So, if I ask you to think about moving down here with me, you will."
"Yes, I'll think about it, but I think we need to look at a time frame of a year or two, I don't want to rush into anything, this is a big decision."
"Okay, agreed, a year or two, but we'll start looking into it."
"Yeah, looking, just looking."
Boyd nodded his head and smiled at her, before leaning forward and kissing her.
The Boyd Clan
Boyd's brother Alex eventually turned up with enough petrol to get them to a petrol station so they could fill the car up, and they then went back to the inn. Grace immediately headed upstairs for a hot shower to warm herself up, whilst Boyd sat in the bar talking to his brother and his family. By the time Boyd headed upstairs, he found Grace lying on the bed fast asleep. He sat on the edge of the bed next to her and kissed her softly, she stirred but didn't wake so he left her to sleep whilst he had a shower and got changed ready for dinner, by the time he was ready she was awake and dressed, fixing her hair and make up in the mirror.
"You look lovely," he said as she stood and looked at her self.
"I wish I felt it."
"What's wrong?"
"I don't know, all this stuff about moving here, and meeting your family, it's just...I don't know."
"Hey come here." He took her hand and pulled her to her feet, and then slipped his hands around her waist, "all I really want is to be with you."
"I'm just not used to all this family stuff, I'm an only child, and I've been single for so long that it just feels a bit overwhelming."
"Well we can't do a runner now."
"I don't want to do a runner, I want to meet them, I'm sure it will be fine."
"Do you know, I think this is the first time I've ever seen you like this, you're normally so confident and self assured, seeing you all nervous like this it..."
"It makes you want to run a mile."
"No actually, it makes me want to just hold you, and protect you. I guess that's what you bring out in me."
"Must be love Peter!"
"I guess it must be." He replied kissing her again, he then took hold of her hand and they walked back down the stairs. By now the rest of his family had arrived and Alex had arranged a table for them all to have a meal in his inn.
As he walked through the door, the first person he saw was his sister Chrissie, she gave him a big smile before walking up to him and throwing her arms around him. "Hello Peter!" she said affectionately.
"Hi Chrissie!" He replied kissing her as he did so, and pulling her into his arms, "how you doing?"
"I'm very well, thanks, how are you?"
"I'm fine thanks, well better than fine really, Chrissie this is Grace." He introduced the two women, who exchanged pleasantries. He then went on to greet and introduce Grace to the rest of his family, the entire clan was present, in-laws, nieces, nephews and partners, it was quite a crowd. They sat and had a meal and a few drinks and the evening went quite well. Grace found Chrissie a little off hand, as Boyd had predicted, she was a pleasant enough person, and both her and her husband and children were very pleasant, but Grace did get the impression that she didn't approve of her. Boyd's other brother James was nice enough, and in looks he was very similar to Peter and Alex - tall and broad with the Boyd dark eyes and cheeky smile, he was a pretty straight forward man, and his partner Sally, was very attractive and Grace suspected a bit younger than him.
Waiting and Listening
It was getting late into the evening when Grace excused herself to go to the ladies, and she was in a cubicle when she heard the door open and the sound of voices, voices that she could already recognise as those of Chrissie and her eldest daughter Lara. Grace was about to walk out of the cubicle when she heard her name mentioned so she decided not to walk out at that moment, not because she wanted to eavesdrop on their conversation, but because she didn't want to make them feel awkward. So she stood and waited, hoping that they wouldn't say anything that she didn't want to hear.
"She's not what you expected is she Mum?"
"Oh god, not at all. Peter could do so much better than that."
"Why? She seems really nice, and uncle Peter is obviously very fond of her."
"I don't want him settling for just anybody, she's clearly older than him, with a younger woman he could still be a father."
"But maybe that isn't what he wants, I know how much it hurt you when Luke died Mum, but if uncle Peter can get over it and move on then so should you."
"Luke was my godson, my nephew, maybe it hurts that he seems to have moved on so quickly. He seems to have forgotten about him and shacked up with the first slapper that offered it on a plate."
"That's not fair, perhaps she makes him happy."
"Or perhaps she's helped him wipe the memory of Luke from his life. He doesn't talk about him, he was his son, and he never mentions him, all he seems to care about is this new...whatever it is with her."
"That seems a little harsh."
"Maybe, but maybe I just want what is best for my brother. I don't think she is what's best for him, he could so much better."
All of a sudden they both stopped talking and looked to the door of the toilet cubicle as it slowly opened. They stood dumbstruck at the sight of the woman who walked out of that cubicle and over to the wash basin, she washed her hands and dried them before walking out of the toilets, and then out of the Inn and into the courtyard.
Chrissie and Lara returned to the table looking more than a little sheepish, and it was Peter that spoke first.
"Is Grace not with you?"
"Umm, no, I think she may have gone outside for some fresh air."
"What? Without her jacket? She'll bloody freeze out there." He replied picking up her jacket and standing up with it.
Grace and Chrissie
"Here, let me." Chrissie replied, taking the jacket from him and heading out into the cobbled courtyard of the inn. She walked up slowly to the woman she could see standing looking out onto the dark moor, "Peter said he didn't want you getting cold." She said holding the jacket out in her hand.
"Really? I'm surprised it even bothers you, a bad cold in a woman of my age would probably see me off, that must please you."
"I'm sorry."
"What for? Saying it, or that I overheard."
"Both, I guess I'm just a little..."
"Jealous, small minded, petty?"
"I deserve that, but what I was actually going to say is, I guess I'm still hurt that he never came to me when Luke died, that he never wanted my help or support."
"And that's my fault because?"
"Because I gather he came to you, and if I'm honest I think I resented you before we even met. I'd made my mind up not to like you before you even arrived, from the moment Alex told me he was bringing you. It feels like he's moved on from Luke, and he didn't need me."
"Moved on? Do you have any idea what he has been through over the last 12 months, what his life has been like?"
"No, because he wouldn't talk to me."
"He wouldn't, or rather couldn't talk to anyone. Three months after Luke died he showed up on my front door, looking as though he had been living rough, and hadn't slept since the funeral. He was in a terrible state, and he came to me for help. What you rather I'd done, turned him away in the hope that he would come to you, or take him into my home and give him the time and space that he needed to open up about what he felt? It took him seven days before he could speak to me, and even then he couldn't tell me where he'd been, or what he'd been doing. He slept for hours on end, and then when he spoke all he could say was he was tired."
"I didn't know how bad he was."
"No you didn't. He couldn't come to you, not because he didn't want to, but because you were all too close to him, you reminded him of what he was trying to get over, the loss of his only son. He hasn't forgotten Luke, he talks about him every day, and as for our relationship, yes I am older than him, six years to be exact, and no we will obviously not have children, but I love him, and he loves me. What we have grew out of a tragedy, something good that came out of something awful. I didn't push him, quite the opposite, it was him doing all the running. I kept telling him it was wrong, that he was looking for comfort, but he persisted, and here we are, some months later and he wants me to meet his family."
"Come and meet the dragon lady sister, who slags you off in a toilet, some nice family."
"I understand your concern, he's your brother, you love him and want what's best for him, but I think at his age, maybe he's the best judge of what's best for him."
"I know, and I meant it when I said I was sorry. I was out of order, and I never really meant any of it. I just wanted him to talk to me about it, about losing Luke, and he didn't, he never has."
"Is everything okay?" A deep voice said from behind them.
"Yes it's fine." Grace replied. She walked away from Chrissie, placing her hand on the younger woman's arm on her way past, she reached up and kissed Peter as she got to him. "Talk to your sister Boyd." She said before walking back inside.
Peter and Chrissie
"What's up Chrissie?"
"I said something not very nice about Grace, and she over heard me."
"What the hell..."
"Before you start, I've apologised, I'm sorry okay."
"But why? Grace is the most inoffensive person you could ever meet."
"Because you won't talk to me, because when you needed help you went to her not me. I wanted to help you Peter, I wanted to look after my big brother, and I was hurting too, I wanted you to hold me."
Boyd sighed before he spoke. "I couldn't talk to you about him Chrissie, I couldn't face you, any of you."
"What do you mean, you couldn't face us?"
"I felt guilty, responsible. Like I'd failed him and driven him away, and now he was dead, and I couldn't do anything to change that. He was my little boy, and all I could think about was how I drove him to that, and if I blamed myself I was pretty bloody sure that you would all blame me too. The only person I knew for sure wouldn't blame me was Grace, but it took me months to pluck up the courage and go to her."
"You didn't drive him to it, he did that to himself. We never blamed you Peter, none of us. I just loved you and wanted to be with you."
"I wasn't thinking straight. I hated myself, and I missed my son, I still miss him, every single day. I think about what would have happened if I could have got to him, gotten him help, convinced him to go into rehab."
"Torturing yourself won't help Peter, you can't change what has happened."
"I know, and having Grace in my life has helped me to accept that. I'll never forget him, but she has helped me to accept that he's gone."
"And does she make you happy?"
"Happier than I can remember being in a very long time. I love her, and I want to spend the rest of my life with her."
"Then how can I disapprove."
"Well you can, but I'd be very disappointed. I want you both to get along, it means a lot to me."
"We will, you'll see."
Peter and Grace
"So how do you think it went?" He asked, lying back on the bed, hands behind his head, in a totally relaxed posture.
"Well, aside from your sister talking about me in the toilets, and then blaming me for you not talking to her after Luke died, I think it went quite well."
"Chrissie will be okay, you know that don't you?"
"Will she?"
"Yes, she was just hurt because I never spoke to her about Luke's death."
"I know, she told me, shortly after I overheard her saying I was too old for you." Boyd smiled at her words. "Oh you think that's funny do you?" She replied walking over to the other side of the bed and getting in next to him.
"No, not at all. Well, maybe a little bit." Grace put her hand under the duvet and took a gentle but sudden grip of his testicles, causing him to whimper. "Grace, no, don't do that."
"Still think it's funny do you?"
"No no no, not at all, not in any way." He replied in a pleading manner. She released her grip on him and he gave a sigh, then he rolled over and pinned her to the bed, hands above her head. Leaning forward he kissed her roughly. "You bloody cradle snatcher," he said, still pinning her to the bed, before continuing his assault on her lips with his own, rubbing his beard against her soft skin, and causing her to giggle like a school girl. He reached over and switched off the lamp, plunging the room into darkness, and all that could be heard were Grace's continued giggles as they disappeared under the covers together.
The End