Hey, guys, I just reloaded my poll - took off some of the stories that I'd finished and put on some new ones that I'm considering - and I would love it if you'd cast your votes! Thanks!
Phil was never sure how or why what happened next even happened, just that it had. It was far too sudden with far too horrible timing – but it was important, and it was life-changing, and quite frankly, in his own private opinion, it was about dang time. What had started out as a frozen moment in time – the two of them meeting in the middle for an extremely cautious, almost questioning kiss – hadn't truly ended, not with any sort of coherent thought anyway, until the next morning when he'd woken to both parties' total nudity and her sleeping ever so comfortably in his arms.
His first instinct should have been to scramble out of the bed and get as far away from this situation as he could, but he didn't do that. No; there was more to it… he found that he couldn't do that. In total honesty, he and May had ended up in this situation exactly twice before, back when they'd still been in the academy together – and both times before, far too much alcohol had been involved. But this was different. The same in a way, but different – and after the shock of the day before, it was nice.
So maybe that's why, when night was upon them again, May went into his bunk without a comment from either of them. And again the next night… and the night after that… until it became a habit. Not always was there anything more than sleeping, but somehow the closeness they felt in the night began to seep into their daytime interactions.
Then one day he'd kissed her before they slipped out of bed, as had become a morning ritual, only to realize that what they were doing here could be classified as being in a romantic relationship – a real one – and while they hadn't been paying attention, it had become exactly that.
It took two weeks for a habit to form. Two weeks of being alone together with no one to impress and that's what had happened – they'd concentrated on looking for their team members and while their guards were down, they'd… well, fallen in love.
Then their goal was accomplished – in part, at least – and they were left with a different sort of happiness and a whole new host of questions.
Two weeks after they'd fallen from the bus, Hunter and Bobbi were spotted together in the Nez Perce Forest, recovered by their team members, and, of course, brought back aboard the bus. Phil and Melinda – yes, at some point in the past weeks he'd started addressing her by her first name – were thrilled to see them again… but where did that leave them as a couple? Were they a real couple? Was this romantic angle of their relationship something they wanted to pursue even around others – around their team? Was it worth the flack they would almost certainly get? Phil thought so, but what he didn't know was what Melinda's opinion of the situation was.
Starting the moment Hunter and Bobbi were back on the bus, they'd pulled away from one another as the two of them scrabbled a little desperately to make things look unchanged between them. But things had changed – and that was a pretty undeniable fact, no matter how hard they were trying to deny it.
They hadn't talked much at all in the week since Hunter and Bobbi had returned, both too afraid the other agents would catch onto the fact that something was up, and Melinda certainly hadn't been sleeping in his bunk anymore. So Phil was startled – and happily surprised – when he walked into his bunk to retire for the night only to find Melinda sitting on the edge of the bed, having obviously been waiting for him.
Seeing him arrive, Melinda nodded at the door, indicating he should close it, and when he did, she said instantly, "Something's up with Hunter and Morse."
"What; do you think they caught on?" he asked with a frown. It wasn't like there wasmuch for them to even catch onto, right?
A smile played about the corners of her mouth as she answered with ease, "Oh yeah; they started figuring that out the day after they got back. But haven't you noticed? That's when I started noticing a difference too – between them."
"You're implying what, exactly?" Phil asked warily.
She looked at him, totally unimpressed as she continued, "Look, I don't gossip; that's not something I do; it's not what I'm doing. I'm simply sharing my observations from this past week – and maybe even advising you, as director, to talk to them about what the situation is there."
"Why?" Phil asked, narrowing his eyes at her. "You're a 'let's each mind our own business' type of person, so why do you want me to look into this?"
"Don't you get it?" Melinda grinned – actually grinned – as she stepped up to him and took his hands in her own. "If they're together again – and I really do think they are – then there's a solid chance that they'd be okay with knowing about our relationship."
"Is that what this is?" Phil asked with upraised eyebrows. "Because right now it looks more like we've been trying to pretend those two weeks never happened."
At that she just stared at him for a beat. The unintended harshness in his voice had caught her off guard he realized, watching her blink and take a deep breath before she began to speak in that same soul-baring tone she'd used during their first evening alone. "I know… but I don't like it. I know we haven't discussed it, so I'm not sure where you stand, but I know what I think – what I… feel. This past week feels like a lie, like we've been faking… something. But what happened when we were alone on this bus… Phil, I want… no, I have to believe that was real. I know it was, and I want to keep on believing it – being... a couple – even if and when every single member of our team is back on this bus. I'm sure we'll eventually hear about it from the higher-ups and certainly from the team, but if it means that I get to keep loving you and staying at your side in every way that I want to, then I honestly couldn't care less." She blinked again, surprised at herself and what she'd just said, before she muttered a little self-consciously, "But that's just me."
