Title: Elation
Rating: T
Category: Sequel, Richard/Camille, Romance, Fluff
Summary: A sequel to "Moping". They aren't quite ready to acknowledge they still have issues to face.
A/N: I realised after publishing "Moping" that I spent ages describing all the reasons and issues that caused Richard and Camille to separately decide not to pursue a relationship before Richard left Saint Marie. And then I never addressed the fact all of those things were still true at the end of 'Moping'. So I decided a sequel was in order. Warning for sexual themes and all that jazz. I thought I would post this in two parts.
Their first time together was a bit like something from a Mills & Boon novel, except with the sort of awkwardness that always seems to be missing from romance stories. In the stories, nobody ever has to run out to the corner store when they realise they have no condoms. The man never reduces his partner to fits of giggles after he spends a good ten minutes trying to get a bra off, only to realise the bloody thing undoes at the front. And the woman never has to clear her throat and gently request her lover move off her because she is getting a bit squished, after he collapses bodily on top of her.
And yet Richard would still call the entire experience perfect.
When Richard woke, it was mid-afternoon. Apart from the necessary trip to the corner store, they hadn't really wasted any time and had ended up straight in bed. They'd then spent an hour trying to stay awake, sleepily discussing inconsequential things before making love again and then falling asleep. Camille was practically comatose next to him, considering she probably had jet lag she had a valid excuse, but he probably shouldn't let her sleep much longer or she would have no chance of getting her body clock aligned to UK time. He was also starving hungry, it being well past lunch time.
With a certain level of regret, he shook her gently. She mumbled something and turned over, clearly not keen to get up just yet. Richard told himself he was being cruel to be kind and reached out to shake her again.
"Camille," he said gently. "Come on, we can't sleep all day."
"I wasn't planning to," she muttered, face half buried in the pillow. "I thought we'd have some more sex, but we could sleep a bit more now."
"You'll end up awake all night if you sleep now," he told her, trying to sound firm but failing because he couldn't stop smiling.
"I am sure we can find a way to fill the time." She rolled back towards him, and he knew she was waking up now – though reluctantly.
He smiled at her, reaching out to touch her face without really thinking about the action. "I should take you out for something to eat. There are loads of nice places on the high street."
"If we went out, we'd have to get dressed and though I would enjoy undressing you again it doesn't seem like the most efficient way to proceed. Are you very hungry now?" His stomach answered by growling loudly, causing Camille to giggle. "Well I guess my other appetite will have to wait to be satisfied until after we've eaten. What have you got in the house to eat?"
Richard had to think about this. He'd like to be able to say he had the ingredients to whip up something impressive, but the truth was he normally kept the supplies to make pretty simple stuff. This meant he would actually cook when he got home rather than order take away all the time.
"Um, I could make a couple of jacket potatoes?" He offered lamely. He was pretty certain there was some cheese and maybe even some beans as well.
"A what potato?" Camille asked, looking confused.
"A jacket potato," he repeated, though this did not seem to be enough to enlighten her. "You know, a potato, which you cook in the oven."
"Oh a baked potato, why didn't you say so?"
"I did! Everyone calls them jacket potatoes," he huffed, annoyed.
"Oh come on now," she wielded. "Let's not let our first fight be about potatoes!"
"I hardly think it would be our first fight," he told her, and she smiled in response.
"Perhaps not."
At the station, most officers didn't actually take advantage of their boss' absence and carried on with their jobs. Carter, however, kept pausing to look at Brookes as if she intended to tell him something, but would then change her mind. Brookes didn't fail to notice this behaviour and eventually huffed with annoyance and asked, "What is it?"
"The bank holiday weekend starts tomorrow," she told him, a fact he knew. He waited her out. "I think we should let them have the cottage."
"WHAT?" Brookes half shouted, loud enough to get the attention of some other officers. He lowered his voice to continue, "But I am looking forward to it, and I thought you were as well!"
"Well, I was, until I realised you actually wanted us to leave the place and go on hikes, and not spend the entire weekend in bed."
"You don't want to go hiking? You seemed happy, enthusiastic even when I took you through the various routes."
"Well I knew you were enthusiastic," she admitted. "But I don't want to go hiking as much as I want to spend the weekend in bed. With you"
"We could do that anywhere," he pointed out, trying to control his frustration.
Carter grinned, "Exactly. So let's stay at my place, stay in bed, and let them have the cottage booking. They won't get anywhere else for a Bank Holiday, not at this short notice."
Brookes resisted the urge to slap the table, he was really disappointed, though the weekend in bed was still quite tempting. He had one last play, "DCI Poole is on duty this weekend, so he can't go away anyway!"
"Yes, yes I know…" She said, thinking it over. "Singh!" She called out across the bullpen, gaining the attention of the DI. "What you doing this weekend?"
"Sadly I am being forced to visit with the future in-laws. Like I won't get enough visits after we are married, we apparently have to get some practise visits in before."
"And how would your fiancé feel if you were suddenly forced into working a shift? Would she be angry enough to call off the wedding?" Carter asked, deadly serious.
"No, she is quite understanding, Doctor you know…You want me to cover for DCI Poole? Bloody hell Brookes is right about you, right little matchmaker. Well personally if he'll agree to ditch the shift I'll agree to work it, anything to get out of that visit!" She gave Singh her best smile, and then turned to Brookes looking quite frankly triumphant.
"Fine," he huffed. "They can have the bloody cottage."
"What will you do with yourself?" Richard asked Camille the next morning, she was still naked underneath the sheets in bed, seemingly content not to move for the moment. This was a distraction so intense he hadn't managed to put his tie on, despite attempting to do so for at least 10 minutes.
"Well since you insist on going to work, I guess I'll entertain myself. Probably go sightseeing," she shifted, exposing more of her body, and causing him to fail at his tie knotting attempt once again. "Want me to help with that?" She asked innocently, as if she had no clue as to why he was suddenly all fingers and thumbs.
"I doubt you would help," he told her dryly.
"Come on now Richard, would I make you late for work?"
"Yes," he said flatly, finally succeeding in putting his tie on. "Call me if you get lost or anything."
She gave a small laugh, "I lived in Paris, and the Underground can't be any more complicated than the Metro."
"I'm sorry I have to go to work." It was about the fifth time he'd apologised since the alarm first went off. Camille kept assuring him it was ok, and that it was her fault for not giving him any notice of her arrival. She gave him a patient sort of smile, and he leaned down to give her a kiss goodbye. Camille put a hand on the back of his neck and urged him closer, and he almost forgot for a moment he was supposed to be going somewhere.
Richard decided the important thing was that he would be going to work, he could probably afford to be late just this once…
Richard did his best to try to sneak into work, but he knew he was never going to get away with it. "Sir!" Carter called out, he paused at her desk and she gave him a quick glance up and down. "Camille distract you a little this morning?" She asked with a cheeky grin.
This question concerned him, he'd checked carefully in the mirror before leaving and there was no lipstick or (God forbid) love bites on show. "What makes you say that?"
"Your lack of tie, Sir," Carter said. He looked down and damn it, she was right, he had never put it back on after Camille expertly removed what had taken him so long to tie properly.
"Well I suppose I can get away with it for one day," he said with a small sigh, and thus admitting Carter had been right. She was frowning at him. "What now?"
"The Superintendent is coming in forty minutes Sir, it's what I called you over to say." Richard instantly started to panic, trying to calculate if he could make it to a shop in time to by a new one. He could make it home, but the risk of delay by Camille was too high. Carter suddenly smiled and said, "Don't worry, Chief Inspector, you can have Brookes' spare tie! He always has a spare one in case he spills yoghurt on it, which he does quite often."
Richard turned to Brookes, who shifted in his seat uncomfortably before nodding to confirm that was the case. "I always wondered why you sometimes changed tie half way through the day, I thought it was an affectation or something."
Brookes opened his bottom desk draw and withdrew a tie, which he handed over to Richard. "Thanks, I'll get it back to you at the end of the day." He went off towards his office, only to find Carter was still trailing after him. "What does the Superintendent want anyway?" He asked, assuming she had further information she wanted to pass on.
"Oh, budgets." He cringed at the word, a reminder of the fact he and Camille would eventually need to have a long and difficult conversation about their future. "I know, not the most exciting topic," Carter said, misinterpreting his look. "So it's the bank holiday this weekend, Sir," Carter continued, confusing him.
"Yes," he said, suddenly wary. Had he gotten the shifts muddled up? He'd signed up to work himself to give as many people time off as possible.
"And you have the weekend off, Sir." Now he was really confused.
"No I –"
"Yes you do," Carter cut him off giving him a significant look. "DI Singh is the senior officer this weekend."
He instantly understood that she had been meddling again, and wondered if she had powers over every male officer in this station. He noticed that Singh was listening in, and shot the Inspector a questioning look.
"That's right, Sir, such a shame I won't be able to see the in-laws." He gave a mock-dramatic sigh, and Richard knew the man was not exactly feeling hard done by.
"Right, yes," he said, unable to keep the smile off his face. "I guess I do indeed have the weekend off." Richard had no idea how he would repay Carter for all her very welcome interferences. "I wonder if I can get a caravan in Clacton…"
Carter looked at him, wide eyed and concerned, "A caravan, Sir?"
"Yes, you see I promised Camille if she ever came to the UK I would take her to stay in a caravan in Clacton for the weekend," he explained.
"A caravan, Sir?" She repeated. He didn't quite see what she was getting at. She frowned, and then said with a certain amount of hesitancy, "Well, um, it isn't, um, exactly romantic."
Now he thought about it, Richard could hardly deny she was right. Camille hadn't seemed that enthusiastic all the months ago when he had first mentioned it either. He got the impression Carter was probably trying to give him a hint: he should not be taking Camille to Clacton. "Perhaps I could think of somewhere else…"
Carter brightened, "How about a nice cottage in the Lake District, in a great location and miles from anywhere. The place is gorgeous, trust me." She held out an envelope which he took and peered inside, it contained a map and a booking for a cottage. It took Richard a moment to realise she had literally planned the whole trip for him. Richard could get used to having his life managed in this way, though he did think there was a possibility that if she was given the chance Carter might arrange his wedding without him even realising.
"Any other tips?" He asked, knowing she wouldn't be shy in offering advice.
She gave him a small smile, "Actually…"