This is Chapter Two of May The Road Always Lead You Home. Here we get a look at how Bradley feels about the whole situation!
Bradley James was at the wheel of his brand new car. It took the curves of the French countryside nicely, and he loved driving in it, especially with Colin sitting beside him. Colin was always cracking those dark jokes and making Bradley laugh like crazy. They were currently laughing about something they had watched on the Catherine Tate show the other day. It had been a repeat, but they had watched it anyway, and they were still laughing their heads off.
"And David Tennant said 'Doctor Who?'" They both started giggling again.
"Hey, Look!" Colin cried out suddenly. He had spotted a horse walking at the side of the road, with a woman on its back and what looked to be a wolf trotting by it's side.
"Hey! Isn't that the chick from Pierrefonds from a few weeks ago?" Bradley remembered the horse more than the girl, to be honest. It had been amazing to see a horse that could actually dance to music, making leaps and bounds to the rhythms.
"Yeah! That's Ocean! Can we stop please?" Colin was practically begging Bradley to stop. Bradley pulled over to the side of the small road, ending up behind the horse by a few lengths. Colin jumped out of the front seat and shouted "Ocean!"
The woman atop the horse turned around, and blessed Colin with one of the loveliest smiles that Bradley had ever seen.
"Hello Colin, Bradley," She spoke softly, sliding down from the tall, silvery-grey horse. She looked a little more world weary than the last time Bradley and Colin had seen her. Her hair was pulled back into a soft bun, fringes of hair escaping everywhere and blowing in the wind. The backpack on the horse was attached with soft buckles to prevent chafing, and both Bradley and Colin knew that housed her laptop, speakers and the ropes she used to cordon off areas where the horse Hero would dance.
"What are you doing here?" Colin asked. "I looked for you for ages! Why didn't you come back?" Bradley thought Colin was being horribly transparent, but hey, whatever worked for him. Bradley had endured a full week of Colin talking non-stop about this chick, and so he ignored the conversation and walked to the horse, named Hero, and petting it and the wolf, Hope.
"Uhm, well, I was kind of embarrassed after our meeting, so I spent a few days hiding. When I finally worked up the courage to go back, filming had stopped and everyone had left. I figured I would never see you again," Ocean replied quietly. Bradley had to strain to hear the soft voice over the sounds of the rustling leaves on the October ground.
"Oh," said Colin. "I thought you just… well… Didn't like me or anything.." Colin blurted out quickly. Then promptly turned three shades of red and ducked his head down.
"Didn't like you?" Ocean replied, confusion evident in her voice. "Cause I go around kissing everyone like I did with you?" Then SHE turned three shades of red, and Bradley decided it was time to step in to try and salvage whatever Colin had just fucked up.
"Hey you two love birds, I'm gonna take off. The sun's going down and Katie and Angel expect me to go clubbing with them tonight. Col, you coming?" Bradley passed the two and looked over his shoulder but Colin hadn't even moved.
"Where are you staying tonight?" Colin asked Ocean. Bradley knew of only one place where she would be able to keep a horse and a wolf by her side, and her answer confirmed it.
"I was actually just looking for a camping spot," Ocean replied with a touch of a blush. "I saw a creek up ahead, and was making my way to it when you stopped me."
"You've been sleeping outside? What about a bed, and… pillows… and stuff?" Colin finished lamely.
Ocean let out a musical giggle. "What? And leave Hero and Hope to the elements when I'm enjoying myself? No thanks. What's good enough for them is good enough for me. But you're both more than welcome to come check out my camping spot." She gestured forward, and both Hope and Hero began walking again. As she walked Bradley noticed Ocean was limping. Colin was too busy talking to notice it.
"What happened to you?" Bradley interrupted suddenly. "Why are you limping like that?"
Ocean flushed scarlet, and tried to hide herself on the other side of Hero. "It's nothing…"
Colin looked at her critically, and said "No, he's right. What happened? Please tell us," He whispered softly to her. Ocean looked up at him with her soft green eyes, and right then Bradley's heart gave a small lurch. He would have done almost anything to have someone look at him with such unabashed love and trust.
"Someone stole my passport a few days ago. They also took my shoes," She finished lamely. "Actually, the only thing they didn't take was my backpack. The only reason I can think that they didn't take it was because it was back at my camp with Hope pretty much laying on top of it. I got out of the water from swimming and everything I owned that was with me was gone." She finished with a sigh. "They even took my flint and dagger. I haven't been warm in days…" She shrugged.
Bradley's heart went out to this woman who had suffered so much in such a little time. Colin wrapped his arms around her softly, trying futilely to rub some warmth into her soft arms.
"Shit," Bradley muttered. "Okay, here's what we're going to do." He put on his Arthur persona, and started giving directions. "Colin, I want you to remove the pack off the horse. Ocean, I want you to put a rope on Hero, and make sure he's well secured. Colin, put the pack in the car, and get Hope inside. God, I hope she doesn't stink up the inside of my new car…"
Colin started following his directions, but Ocean just looked at Bradley like he was barking mad. Colin wandered up behind her, and whispered "Just do it. He won't give any reasons for why he's asking us to do it, but I've learned to just trust him." Ocean looked at Colin, and then gave Bradley a speculative glance. Then she started rummaging through the pack in the backseat of the car, and pulled out a length of rope and carefully tied it into the form of a halter for Hero.
While they did that Bradley checked his car to make sure everything was set, and got into the front drivers seat. Colin got into the back with Ocean, and the rope was fed through the window. Ocean leaned out the window and made sure Hero was all right, walking beside the car. Bradley made sure the car went slow enough for him. They travelled quite a way this way, with Hero walking beside the car, and other cars driving past and honking.
"Thank god Hero doesn't startle easily," Ocean commented. Bradley snorted. "If he had," He replied. "Then he wouldn't be attached to MY car!" And he gave a sharp laugh.
In the back seat Ocean and Colin looked at each other and smiled. Finally they got to a stable where Colin and Bradley sometimes went riding, to help keep their riding skills ready. Bradley went inside to talk to the elderly owner of the stable, and they came back out together.
"It's all set," He explained. "Hero and Hope are both welcome to stay here. Hero will have a stall in the back, away from Henry's breeding mares, and Hope is more than welcome to stay with him. Although Henry has promised that if she scares any of his livestock, he will pull out his gun and shoot her." Bradley turned a couple of shades darker with his blush. "Couldn't talk him out of that, I'm afraid."
"That won't be a problem," Ocean confirmed. "I taught her a long time ago that domesticated animals are NOT to be hunted. The only problem I can see is with Hero. If he catches wind of those breeding mares, he may not be able to control himself." Looking at Hero, she took his head in her hands, and stared him full in the eyes.
After a few minutes she blinked, released a sigh, and dropped her hands. "There," she said solemnly. "I think I managed to convince him that the mares here aren't worth him getting himself shot over. I don't think you'll have any problems with him, sir. Just to check, can you show me where those mares are?"
Henry showed them the mare barn, and Ocean demonstrated by walking Hero past a mare in full heat, and he didn't even so much as look at her. Then she brought Hero to his new stall around back, made sure he had plenty to eat and drink, and told Hope to stay with him.
As they walked away, Hope made the first sound Bradley had ever heard from her. She whined softly. Ocean turned back, knelt down and wrapped her arms around her friend. Kissing the top of her head, she promised she would return and they would be together again soon. Hope stopped whining, and Ocean patted Hero's nose, then turned and walked back to the car. As she got in, Bradley noticed that Ocean's eyes were wet. Out of consideration, he didn't mention it.
Colin climbed into the back seat with Ocean, and took her hand in his. Again, Bradley's stomach did a flip flop, as he noticed the look of sweet affection on their faces. They thought they were hiding it, but Bradley could see it. And he couldn't help wondering if there was someone out there that could make him feel that way. It's not like he didn't date. He went out with women a LOT. But none of them made his pulse race, or make him feel warm and fuzzy all over.
By the time they made it back to the hotel, Bradley had worked himself into a right foul mood, thinking that he would never find the right person. Ocean looked at Colin and asked him to check and see if it was all right if she could stay in one of their rooms, and then had placed a restraining hand on Bradley's forearm.
"You will, Bradley," She whispered so softly he could only just catch what she said. The look on her face wasn't upsetting, just sympathetic. "She'll come along one day, one day soon, and you'll be so blown away you won't know what hit you. She'll make things hard for you for a while, but eventually she will settle down. And please remember, Bradley. She WILL be worth it."
Bradley's eyes widened with this information, and he gently removed Ocean's hand from his arm. "I dunno what you're talking about," He grumped. "I'm just fine. Now I'm going to get ready to go out with the girls. And nothing," he emphasised, "NOTHING is going to stop me from getting ready. G'night." And with that, he stalked off to his bedroom.
Colin looked back at Ocean, and offered her his hand. "What was that all about?" He asked. "Nothing," Ocean replied with a hint of sadness in her eyes. There was also a twinkle, a dash of mischief in her voice. "He's just in for a rude awakening, that's all." "Oh." Colin replied thoughtfully. "Well, he's due…"
Colin led Ocean to his room. As he led her inside, they could hear Bradley stomping around in the room next door. Giving Colin a small smile, Ocean sat softly on the end of the bed, and looked around. There weren't very many personal effects in the room. A shirt lying over the back of a chair, a pair of sneakers placed carefully by the doorway, a hamper of dirty clothes in the corner waiting to be washed.
"Well, this is it," Colin stated nervously. He rubbed his hands on his jeans, and sat beside Ocean on the bed. Ocean smiled at Colin softly. "If you don't mind, I'd really really like a shower, if I might." "Oh! Sure," Colin replied, jumping up and grabbing a fresh towel from the bar in the bathroom. "Here," He finished lamely.
Ocean laughed. "Colin, relax, okay? I care about you, but you're driving me crazy! Let me have a shower and then we'll talk, okay?" Ocean smiled at Colin, making his insides do funny things. Ocean closed the bathroom door, and Colin could imagine her getting undressed, turning on the shower, and stepping inside. Then Colin realised HE was the one who needed a shower, and a cold one at that!
He left the room, and walked next door to Bradley's room. He knocked once, waited for Bradley to answer, and pushed past him into the room. Bradley had his toothbrush in his mouth, and a surprised look on his face. Colin paced around and around Bradley's room, not saying anything. Bradley shook his head and went to rinse his mouth out. After a minute he came back.
"So, you're really sweet on her, huh?" Bradley asked. "She's not like anyone I've ever met before! I don't know what to say, what to do for her to make her like me! Now she's in my shower, NAKED, and I can't control myself! I'm behaving like a horny teenager! I came over here to stop myself from getting in the shower WITH her!" Colin groaned.
Bradley grabbed his friend by the shoulder, and sat him down on the edge of his bed. "Firstly, I don't think Ocean would be that put out with you climbing in the shower with her, cause she's just as sweet on you as you are of her. Secondly, your straight-laced Irish upbringing would NEVER allow you to do that. Thirdly, the shower just turned off in the next room, which means she is probably in there wearing nothing but a towel and wondering where the hell you went. She needs clean clothes to wear, and she won't fit in anything of mine. Get in there and find her something to wear, and then just talk with her. Give her a chance to get to know you." With a final clap on the back, Bradley pushed Colin out of his room and turned to keep getting ready.
Colin went back to his room, and just as Bradley had predicted, Ocean was in just a towel, sitting on the end of the bed. Averting his eyes, Colin walked to the dresser, and pulled out a pair of his softest jogging pants, and one of his favourite tee shirts. Walking back to her, he passed them to Ocean, and stepped into the bathroom to give her privacy to change.
In two minutes he heard a knock at the bathroom door. "Colin, are you okay?" Came Ocean's muffled voice. He removed his head from his hands and opened the door. Giving her a small smile, he showed her he was all right. Passing her, he opened the mini fridge and pulled out a small bag of mixed nuts. Taking a couple he passed her the bag, and he sat on the bed. He was trying very hard not to stare, but he was finding he really liked seeing her there in his baggy clothes. His face flushed a bright red, and he looked at the floor.
Ocean took the bag of nuts and placed them on the night table. She stood in front of Colin, looking down at the redness of the tips of his ears and the back of his neck. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, sliding it up his neck to his jawline, and to his chin. Lifting softly, she raised his face to look up at her, and breathed "Look at me…"
Colin looked up and his breath caught in his chest. The wet strands of Oceans' hair tickled his cheek, as she looked at him through her damp eyelashes. The look she gave him was pure love. There was no animosity, no worry, no sorrow. Just love. As she dipped her head down to kiss him, his last coherent thought was that Bradley was right.