AN – Just a little one-shot.
Inspired by discussions with a good friend, motivated by the need for fluff.
I own and make nothing. These wonderful characters belong to the Anderson's; I just borrow them occasionally as I drift off into fantasy. The smattering of lyrics belong to the genius of Freddy Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor & John Deacon, their inclusion is down to the first time in years I have gone to the cinema to watch a film that wasn't for kids!
For Creative Girl 29. xx
What do you get the man that has everything?
At first she had pondered the question, time allowing a leisurely internal debate. An idea would take hold only to be dismissed. Not good enough, opened to be forgotten as the day became a memory. No 'wow factor'. Now a seemingly easy mission was starting to frustrate her.
Scott would be thirty in a couple of weeks and she had to mark it with something special. Eventually, no nearer a resolution, she had given up on her ability to find a solution without help, and had browsed the internet under the bland search 'gifts for men', it had given no inspiration. The countdown clock ticked louder in her head as each dawn brought her closer to his birthday. Today she had woken earlier than normal with the determination that she would make a decision by the end of the day. Before she ran out of time and she had to resort to the boring, predicable offerings in the online market place to drop into her locker in Auckland.
She stretched her calves as she tied her laces on the steps, loosely slung her hair in a topknot, placed her earphones in, and took the path behind the roundhouse leading into the jungle for the 3k circuit. Always found it easier to focus with blood and enzymes rushing through her system, no distractions and the benefit of dulcet tones of Freddy Mercury ordering 'Don't stop me now." Always a perfect song to start the gentle work up to a sprint, by the end of the 3 minutes and 29 seconds of the cheerleading anthem, she was always ready to push it. What was good for the body, she hoped would now do the same for her brain.
She took the trail that opened up between the Big Leaf Mahogany and Rattan, natures archway to her regular private escape.
Watch? Dismissed easily, he had five!
'Don't stop me now..'
Cologne? He had his favourite, so did she; neither were in short supply.
'Like a tiger defying the laws of gravity..'
She picked up the pace as she passed the giant ferns that tickled her legs as she past them.
Clothes? Urghh. They would not be one of those couples that dressed each other. Well, not in that way. She had discovered recently that re-dressing was almost as erotic as undressing if you had a dimpled Adonis kissing every part of your body before it was re-sheathed.
'Burning through the sky, yeah..'
That train of thought was not helping!
'I wanna make a supersonic man out of you..'
Neither was Freddy!
If he'd been at home she would have given up on this problem and gone off to test the theory that a panting tangle of arms and legs was not necessarily the best end to love making.
He wasn't. Back to the job in hand.
The canopy opened up as she passed through a clearing surrounded by nutmeg giving foliage. The sun had not yet managed cut rays through but the additional light allowed her mind, which had totally wandered off point, to re-centre itself on the mission.
'Don't stop me now..'
That's right Freddy, I will not be defeated! She picked up the pace, footfalls pounding the ground, arms punching through the air, the humidity and exertion bringing a sheen to her skin.
Jewellery? Ha! Scott Tracy, a bling-king. Hilarious!
40 year old Speyside single? Gone, and forgotten within the month.
'On a collision course…'
Her brothers had been no help. She had dangled the odd fishing line over the past few days and come up with the equivalent of an old boot. Birthday presents within the family were now the domain of a novelty gift, a joke, something more with the entertainment of others in mind. Apart from gifts from their grandmother, although occasionally these came into this category by accident, John's spa experience had given Gordon no end of amusement.
'Burning through the sky, yeah….'
Grand gestures had not been exchanged since the boys had been twenty-one. All she had gleaned from the younger boys was that they'd had had their gifts in the bag for over a month. An inflatable zimmer-frame, Gordon's mark of genius, and a can of chill-pills, Alan's jelly beans labelled 'a la joke shop'. John and Virgil either weren't divulging, were keeping their cards close to their chest, or would be doing the equivalent of a late night gas station dash. None of them felt any pressure to deliver.
'I don't wanna stop at all…'
She was no longer in the amusing gift camp. And, she was now at the half way point before she turned to make her way back where she started.
Damn him. He had set the bar so high.
'La, la la…'
And dammit Freddy, you were no help!
Opting for the sound track of the jungle, she took out her earphones and dangled them round her neck.
Slowed her run to a jog, maybe the pace wasn't helping, too urgent, too much pressure.
On her own birthday, the first after their relationship had changed from 'like brother and sister', to something more, he'd whisked her away to Paris. He'd even arranged for a private viewing from the top of the Eiffel Tower at midnight, gifting the wow factor that was so far eluding her in her own search. Now she felt obliged, wrong choice, the need to do something equally memorable. However, when it came to 'the few days away' option, she had dismissed everything that came to mind. It had to be something to remember, something to look back on in old age and smile about as the memories returned and they relived the experience.
Nothing was surer. They would grow old together.
City breaks, private beaches and log cabins would come aplenty over the coming years and morph into mixed memories. This had to stand out. Find the essence of them as a couple. Nothing sentimental though. He'd definitely think she'd taken a blow to the head if she went all gooey on him.
Run over, unless she fancied lap two with no reward. She exited the trail into the sun, next to the coconut palms to the left of where she'd entered and sulked back into her quarters to take a shower.
Her second favourite place for thinking.
The jets soothed the muscles but not the mind. Nothing!
In defeat, she flung herself on her bed and flicked through the options that had loaded in her planner since the last time she had decided to switch off and let pictures and sound transport her. A chance find on National Geographic sparked her imagination. A little seed, that grew into a fantastic idea, a Eureka moment that had excitement bubbling in her stomach as soon as the thought had started to invade and persuade her of the possibility that the search was over.
He would love it.
If she could swing it.
It would take a cheeky telephone call. Something she was sure was new in IR history. They did what they did without ever requiring payment. Ethics versus the only present that was continuing to excite her, goosebumps ran down her arm as the scenario played out in her mind. Nothing could be more perfect.
She made the call. They could only say no right?
They were slow to return it.
Each minute without a response was agony.
Of course they could do this kind of thing without permission on most continents. But this had the added bonus of a personal history. A shared rescue while the usual Thunderbird Two crew were on down-time. A comment he'd made about the small area of lodges and America's giants that they'd saved from the flames being a perfect escape had returned to her as she had watched the documentary.
Perfect escape!
With the added flourish of her own genius, an embellishment to the tranquillity of that particular location, there was nothing else that would come close to answering the question she had spent days thinking about.
That call for assistance to contain a fire, was the start of a slow change in how they viewed each other, banter during the nine hour marathon had been bordering on flirtatious. Of course at the time she certainly didn't have the wherewithal to realise it, she wasn't even certain he had. But looking back now, there had definitely been a shift in the boundaries of their conversation, imperceptible without the knowledge of their present selves.
It had been a long road, a lot of stalling, and nearly two years to getting to where they found themselves now.
Comfortable as boyfriend and girlfriend and assured of their future together.
After a few minutes pacing her room like a caged lion, she received the ping from the National Park Service.
Special permit approved, providing no footage is posted.
She had her gift!
…..
A week before his actual birthday, so as not to incur the wrath of their grandmother, birthdays were for the family. No arguments! Kayo snuck into Scott's bedroom and left an envelope decorated with a blue foil bow on his pillow.
When you read this all you need to do is pack an overnighter and hold onto your breeches Flyboy! Happy Birthday. And of course, I will think of a little something to give you on the day. ;-)
Once the delivery had been made she returned to her room in no mood for any other company. An increase to her resting heartbeat would prevent her from sleeping out the wait, waves of excitement were hitting her stomach each time she anticipated his face on opening it. Instead she waited on her balcony for his return, managed until nearly eleven before the late evening chill sent her indoors. Slightly deflated, she decided to read in bed to pass the time, but it was hard to concentrate when you were like a kid on Christmas Eve.
Eventually must have dozed though, because the loud roar of his return filled her room and startled her. And, Thunderbird One certainly did not do creeping up.
She grabbed her phone and left it on the pillow beside her. She couldn't wait for his reaction and she was determined she was not going to spill anything until they got there, even under duress. Scott had a certain way of interrogation that left any secrets she may be privy to spilling from her lips as he withheld his own.
Not this time. Maybe fun to watch him fail though.
Minutes turned into the half-hour, he was taking his time. Usually the mission report would be jotted down in note form for a re-working the next day if he was home late. The phone lay beside her without the telling vibration that he'd read the note. She suppressed the urge to investigate. Much preferred a reaction without going looking for it.
Too needy!
Giving up and highly disappointed at the lack of impact, she turned out her night light, bunched the pillow under her head and turned on her favourite left side for sleeping. She always slept facing the door, even in her own room. Waking him to start their adventure would not have the same effect, but it would have to do.
She jolted awake. A thud hit the floor to the right. She rolled off the bed to the left, zeroing in on the location of the noise that had come from the direction of the balcony; she took a look around the end of her bed.
A grin met her shocked reaction.
"Bag… Check…. Jeans'll have to do for breeches, but I'm holdin' 'em." Scott winked holding his thumbs inside his pockets with his fingers splayed like miniature wings, "you have me intrigued."
Kayo lifted herself from her defensive crouch, "Good, I like to keep you on your toes," she made her way towards him, placed her arms through his and kissed him gently on the mouth. "You don't need your bag till tomorrow though."
"I do if I'm leaving from your room," he drawled suggestively.
Kayo gave a squeeze to his backside, "what, and let you deploy your specialist interrogation techniques? Not this time. Surprise present, no argument. And don't make the balcony entrance a habit, I might knock your block off before I realise it's you. You're lucky it's a full moon. Back to your own quarters, Field Commander,"
"You sure about that?" Scott questioned, nibbling her ear.
Kayo shot her shoulder up to divert the attack and succeeded only in diverting his attention to the opposite side and her neck. She was putty in his hands when her neck came into play. "Alright you can stay, but I withhold consent for any of your usual ploys." She mimed a zipper on her lips.
"Spoil sport." His hands started to trace the small of her back.
His persuasiveness may fail in getting a secret out of her but she didn't have to cut her nose off to spite her face. Kayo lifted his T above his head and loosened his belt, "Of course if it's not a tactic to gain intelligence, then it may be a whole new ball game,"
Scott kicked off his loafers and denim. "Yes ma'am. Understood!"
….
Kayo had control of the craft, even with an early start and, after a 2:00pm finish to their extra-curricular; it would to hard convince him to sleep on the journey. He had woken as excited as a Spaniel pup when 'a friend' came round. And that sort of energy was hard to get rid of cooped up in a cabin. But with what she had in mind he was going to need it. At least there were no arguments as to who was piloting Tracy One, the flight hours he'd racked up the previous day prohibited him for at least twelve. Still with the bit between his teeth, he'd started with the evidence and probed after only ten minutes in the air and as soon as her total concentration was not needed at the controls.
"East, so Hawaii?"
"Not playing, get some sleep."
"If you don't tell me then I'll play this game till we get there. How many hours until we touch down?"
"Ten, ish ….Scott, I mean it." Dammit, he'd played her; she knew he'd make the calculations and narrow down the options. Still, it wasn't the location that was the gift."
"San Francisco?" He let the silence run for a moment. "Hot or cold?"
"I hear it's a little chilly at this time of year." Kayo replied, trying not to laugh.
"Where we're going?"
"No. San Francisco."
"Did you Google the extended forecast when you were looking for a hotel?" He probed further, resting his hand on her thigh.
"If you don't hit the cabin and get some shut eye, you'll spoil it."
"I'll sleep when you tell me, I hate secrets." Scott probed further delivering a little squeeze to her thigh.
"Hit the hay or the romantic portion of this couple of days away is going to be a little chilly for the time of year." She delivered the statement with an edge of seriousness, but she never could hide her grin when he was in a playful mood.
"LA?"
"Stop it!" She was laughing now.
"Vegas?"
With those dimples, that smile, the deployment of the waggling eyebrows and ten hours in the air, this wouldn't stay a secret for long. For sanities sake she'd have to give in.
"Sleep. Now!" An order she knew she was hoping in vain he'd follow.
"Or, I could I could continue this and watch you go stir-crazy. Bet its Vegas. You've got Elvis on stand-by to make an honest man out of me."
Kayo eyed him. "How about, with what I have in mind you need your wits about you. Trust me, Elvis will not be appearing in this adventure. Now get some sleep and you'll get it, when I let you get it!"
"It? Can I get a little of 'it' when we land?" His eyebrows danced mischievously.
Kayo snorted, "If you're a good boy you'll get a lot of 'it' and your present when we land." She returned the touch, placing her own hand on his thigh, "couple of hours Scott and be a good little Steward and bring some lunch when you get back."
He laughed, "Now food is something I can leave the cockpit for."
….
On their approach to Mammoth Lakes, Scott could not help crowing about finally working out that their location was Yosemite. Still as the wheels touched down Kayo knew she still had one little surprise up her sleeve. She could not help the large grin on her face as she completed the final checks and joined him in the cabin to collect their luggage.
She handed him a backpack.
"That's not mine."
"It is now."
"What we doing with the overnighters."
"Have a car arranged for those."
"We hiking there? It'll take days." He commented as the steps descended.
"Nope," She smiled broadly, "time to suit up, that chopper is for us." She pointed to the far side of the airfield, "Take us right up to El Capitain's nose."
She watched it dawn slowly, a grin, then a kiss to her cheek, "Base jump!"
"Yep, the only permit issued in over seventy years,"
"I love you."
"I know."
Once in leisure versions of IR standard issue suits, they walked to the waiting chopper. Swapped peasantries with the pilot and took to the skies again. The chopper pilot, keen to give them an amazing view of the granite monolith prior to their abseil line descent to the summit, flew across the valley. They seemed only inches from the top of the green coniferous canopy hiding valley floor. The sun was lazily descending, pink and gold light decorated the hazy air. Kayo checked in with the rangers who had volunteered to spot from the ground. Conditions were good, cold on the summit, breezy but the light played ball and they had their clearance. Before affixing lines and leaving the chopper Scott pulled her into a tight embrace, kissing her tenderly on the mouth.
"I don't think anyone has ever put so much thought into a gift for me."
Kayo blushed, "wanted something we would both never forget,"
"Then you nailed it sweetheart."
They waved to the chopped pilot as he pulled the lines up and lifted his nose to the heavens, leaving them alone on the top of the world.
"Safety brief," Kayo started.
"Boring," Scott rolled his eyes as Kayo unpacked the wing suits and checked the equipment.
"I'm serious Scott. This is no parachute jump, no reserve and although Brains has added a little extra to the wing suit in case of failure, thinking time is limited. Alto meter in the face mask will glow green when you need to pull. Chute, you know how to toggle and flare for landing. These controls out of your sleeves tuck into your palms. Line twist, chute failure and the wing suite will do its thing if you press your thumbs into them. Run and jump out. As soon as the chute is deployed you need have eyes on the clearing, look for the river. I don't want to have to call one of your brothers to rescue you from a coniferous entanglement."
Scott laughed. "Ok, ok, I got it. Who's going first?"
"Up to you flyboy?"
"You first, I can check out your ass on the way down."
"Good luck with that! Flashes of colour are all you are going to see, this is not a visual experience until we are vertical and under a canopy."
Kayo helped him on with the suit and contained chute and he did the same for her. Scott started his paces back from the edge.
"You're going first then?"
"My present. So if there's no benefit to following you, I'll take the honours."
She watched his run and starfish jump into the abyss, her pensive stomach flipped with delight as soon as she heard the echoing whooping from below. She counted to five and took the plunge herself.
There was no wind, no buffeting just plummeting, nothing to focus on until the green hit her visor. The chute unfurled, descent slowed and her vision focused on finding the green and blue of the clearing. She caught the white of his chute to the left arcing in for landing. Using her toggles she flared her own, adjusting her position to line up with the safe zone on the valley floor. Hit the ground with a run, headed for him and ran straight into his arms her chute billowing behind. The force sent them both to the ground, where they sat for a moment, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist.
"That was mind blowing, I'm shaking. God, the adrenalin is rushing through my system." Scott exclaimed, as he leaned his head into her shoulder and nibbled on her neck. "Left me horny as hell." He finished in almost a whisper.
A cough from behind disturbed them.
Kayo got to her feet and shook the hand of the Ranger, "thank you so much for that."
"A pleasure, just don't advertise it, we'll be inundated with less experienced adventures." He held his arm out, "Your keys to the jeep and lodge. Enjoy your stay."
"We will. Thanks again."
They watched the Ranger leave in his own jeep, as they helped each other out of their suits and roughly forced the chutes back into their packs. Apart from a few black dots on the cliff face they had just jumped from, indicating a few were camped out on the face until light allowed them to continue their climb, they were alone.
"Redwood lodge?"
"Yup, thought celebrating the rescuing of the giants of America and their vacation homes may be a great addition."
Scott brought her into a hug, "Who knew you had a romantic side Kyrano?"
"Just discovered it," Kayo smirked, tossing the keys to the jeep, "Now about that adrenalin you want to find an outlet for,"
…
28th January 2062
The vow to not take pain relief had been broken within three excruciating hours. She had never felt sharp muscle clenching pain like it. After eight hours and forty eight minutes, clasping gas and air like her life depended on it in one hand, and crushing the hand of her lover in her other, she gave a final push.
A cry broke into the room.
As the baby was taken for a quick check she looked to Scott and his arms surrounded her.
"You did great baby." There was a glisten in his blue eyes. "I love you."
"Quite the pep-rally. Boy or girl?" She couldn't help it, there was emotion spiralling around within her that she was not quite ready to release. Not until her child was in her arms, a little glimpse before the midwife turned her back for a brief but agonising minute had her heart in her mouth.
"Scott smiled, "a beauty just like her mother," the tears that had welled left his eyes as their daughter, as naked as she had entered the world, was placed in the arms of her mother.
Her own tears fell as she cuddled the small, wrinkly girl with a mop of dark hair. She placed her to her breast and her partner kissed their heads in turn.
Kayo looked at Scott and smiled.
The girl, a happy accident, had entered their world and become the perfect gift for them both. As the exhausted yet contented babe drifted off to sleep, Kayo wrapped her in a white blanket and passed her to her father.
"Scott, meet your daughter. Lucy Kyrano Tracy." The serious business of the possible names had been discussed, but the full impact came as he held her in his arms. Two options for each sex, Kayo knew her name as soon as she set eyes on her
He choked on the words, "and one day soon we'll hyphenate her second and last names."
Exhausted and the happiest she had ever been, Kayo rested her head on the shoulder of her lover, "we'll have to see about that. You call that a proposal!" She laughed gently as she snuggled into them both.
Maybe, she had just given him a problem that would have him wrestling for the perfect scenario.
Fin