Destination Paris
Chapter 1:
This fic was born from both a conversation with Willowsticks, (thank you to her) and then reading the Wiki page that someone appeared to be playing with a few weeks ago. They might have been messing about – but it gave me inspiration so thanks!
I bought series 1 and 2 of DIP a long time ago on Apple TV. Thanks to my amazing broadband speed (not!) I am unable to watch them as the download speed is too slow. Frustrating. Apologies if therefore, my memories of specific events is a little off. Feel free to critique and point me in the right direction!
Camille sighed deeply, brushing a weary hand across her face.
She ought to feel relief.
She'd imagined that when this moment came, if it ever came, that mixed together with the sadness of leaving family and friends, there would be a huge weight lifted from her shoulders. Instead there was a jumble of apprehension and sheer exhaustion.
A tap on her shoulder refocused her mind. She nodded, smiling at the young flight attendant making her way down the aisle, and buckled the belt around her hips, leaning back in her seat as the plane began to taxi down the runway.
As the huge airbus slowed its rate of ascent above the Atlantic Ocean, she pinched her nose firmly to forcibly pop her ears, the familiar action casting her mind back in time, back beyond the last two years and the front she had been putting on; living with the knowledge that she alone possessed. Back past the emotional turmoil of the two years prior to that and all the way back to the first few times she had met him.
They had not had the best of beginnings.
Much like now, then had been the end of a chapter of her life. Her life undercover on the Islands had effectively come to an abrupt halt the second she had climbed into the boat. She allowed herself a silent chuckle. If she had known at the time how frightened of being on the water he was then she might have carried on swimming and extended the chase a little. Even with the motor as an advantage she had had more of a chance than she realised. But he had appeared so decisive and calculating after she had surprised them by diving into the sea that she had given in quite quickly and clambered into the boat; popping her ears to clear them as water cascaded from her shoulders to puddle on the wooden boards.
After her arrest, after being removed from undercover work, she had been so angry with him. Not only had he ruined her career, but the new chapter the Commissioner was offering her looked to have no redeeming features. Her new DI had effectively shackled himself to her, forced them into a partnership, and without desire or intent on his part either it appeared, so lost had he been in solving the case.
"Can't you go back to London?"
"I'm trying."
"Try harder!"
Far beneath her, the Islands of the Lesser Antilles stretched away to the north. Soon the plane would turn east and they would disappear into the haze. She wondered if Humphrey had waited until the aircraft had left the ground. She had been so lost in her own thoughts, she hadn't thought to check and the size of the airport meant that she would have been able to make out his gangly frame easily.
Poor sweet Humphrey. Struggling after the end of his marriage and so sure that he was in love with her. He had found out that she was saying her goodbyes to her mother in private. Somewhere they could say what they wanted to say, express their emotions and make their plans for visiting one another in future without fear of interruption. He had then insisted he accompany her to the airport. Camille half wondered if he still held out hope that she would change her mind, dramatically fall into his arms and decide to stay. It would never have worked. For so many reasons.
Firstly, and most importantly, even if she felt able to give her heart to someone, that somebody would never be Humphrey. He was kind and sweet and intelligent and had been a devoted friend when she had really really needed one but he was never going to steal her heart. He had never made her stomach flip or caused her words to stall in her mouth. She would have been living a lie in more ways than one.
Secondly, it was quite clear to her at least that she was a rebound crush. Hurting from the failure of his marriage he had leapt, had transferred his affections to new, exciting and different rather than face the pain of loneliness or grieving for the future he must have had mapped out.
Despite feeling confident that he would not pine for too long and would find someone who could truly make him happy, it had been painful hurting her friend.
Necessary but painful.
She sighed again, twisting her fingers together in her lap, and then tapping fingernails on the metal belt clip. The future was a pretty scary prospect for her right now too. Better not to contemplate it too deeply yet.
She had made her decision and there was no going back.