Crisis Point
Chapter Two;
Safe Haven
The sound of Sweet Child of Mine hit Spider's ears as he headed for the galley. Stopping just by the door, he glanced in to see Bomber inside playing air electric guitar along to the very long guitar riff at the end of the song. Chuckling silently, he didn't realise he'd let the door slip closed until it banged shut in front of him. He ducked back around the corner and listened to the music go quiet. Then Bomber appeared at the door, glancing around. Spider hid behind the corner again and she didn't see him. She let the door shut and went back to the song. Again Spider pulled open the door, this time propping it with his foot, and watched her launch back into the song. This time she grabbed the wooden spoon on the bench and started to sing into it, rocking along with two fingers in the air as she sang. Finally Spider couldn't take it any longer and let out a laugh. Instantly Bomber stopped and, seeing him, growled.
"How long have you been standing there?"
Spider shrugged. "Long enough." He went to her and she hit him in the arm with the wooden spoon. "Hey, did I say you were bad?"
"The laugh implied enough." She turned off the music, which turned out to be blasting from an iPod dock in the corner of the room. "What do you want?"
"An AC/DC impersonation?" He teased.
Bomber pulled a sour face. "You know, you aren't as funny as you think you are."
"You like my jokes when it's just you and me…" He pulled her to him. "And it's all quiet…" He whispered into her air. "In the bedroom."
Bomber laughed. "I'm not laughing with you then, I'm laughing at you."
"Mmmm, good enough." He grinned and glanced away. "Speaking of which, I have a break for the next hour."
"As if you need an hour."
He frowned. "You never complained before."
Bomber turned in his arms, putting the wooden spoon down on the bench. "I wasn't complaining, just making an observation."
"Well, you can share your observations in my cabin. Let's go."
"Spider, I have to cook dinner!"
Spider shrugged. "That'll take you, what, twenty minutes? What with the serious lack of fresh ingredients these days I imagine it's another bout of sausages and vegetables from cans…" She gave a sad smile. "I'm right aren't I?"
She nodded with a sigh. "We shouldn't complain. We get one serve of fresh fruit a week. That's doing better than most." She glanced at the still full fruit bowl. "Not that anyone eats fruit around here anyway. This is the patrol boat that good nutrition forgot." She glanced at Spider. "Actually, have you even discovered fruit?"
"I don't do fruit. You know what they say…" Bomber lowered an eyebrow and Spider grinned. "An apple a day keeps the doctor away."
She laughed. "Evidently you've discovered cheese."
Spider just looked at his watch. "We're wasting time here talking. I have to be back on the bridge in 50 minutes now."
"Still more time than you need." Bomber grinned. He gave her a pout. "Spider! I know we have the time but that doesn't mean it can be spent on that."
Spider lifted her left hand and indicated the small silver band on her finger. "That says it can." He gave her his puppy-dog face. "49 minutes."
Bomber glanced at her engagement ring then gave a mischievous smile. "Fine. But if I don't get a decent 40 minutes than it isn't happening again." Spider raised both eyebrows and then, grabbing her hand, pulled her out of the galley.
Three knocks. Bomber rolled over slowly; completely unaware she'd actually fallen asleep at all. She frowned, forgetting where she was for a second, and then remembering. Grabbing the sheet covering her, she wrapped it around herself and dashed into the connecting bathroom, closing the door behind her as the cabin door opened. She heard a chuckle and then the sound of Buffer chastising someone.
"Get up you lazy bastard." He joked and Bomber snuck a glance out the door to see Buffer throw a pillow at Spider's head.
He sat up, hit his head on the top bunk, and then fell back against the pillow. Bomber smothered a giggle. "Aw, Buff, what is it?"
"Mate, you were due on the bridge five minutes ago."
Spider sat up again as Bomber frowned, looking at her watch. He was right. They'd been missing from civilisation for a good hour. No, make that a great hour. Putting her 'Petty Officer' face back on Bomber frowned at herself. Damn Spider's bad influence. Dinner would be late now.
"Yeah, sorry Buff, bit tired lately." Spider sat up but didn't move and Bomber saw Buffer give him a frown. "I'll be two minutes." He cast the bathroom a glance and finally saw Bomber standing there. She waved in a way that should've told him to look away, but instead his eyes opened a little wider and Buffer looked. Bomber ducked back behind the door just in time. As she did she remembered where she'd dumped her uniform. They had a thing of putting their clothes in the bathroom, lest this exact situation happened. She gave a small smile at her own forward thinking and dressed quickly, dumping the sheet on the floor. She was quick, but not as quick as Buffer. It only took him a second to figure out what was going on.
"Something I should know about mate?" He asked Spider, the hint of a smile at the corner of his lips.
Spider shook his head, but he was a horrible liar. "Nothing, just… can I get a little privacy here Buff?"
Buffer laughed then turned to the bathroom. "Hi Bomber." He called.
Bomber, who was just pulling on her work uniform, called back. "Hey Buff, what's up?"
"Nothing. Spider's just late for work again. And now he looks a bit sick. He's gone very pale."
Bomber emerged from the bathroom, dressed once again and in the process of tying her hair up. She glanced at Spider whose eyes were dancing between them and gave him a smile. "I think you're right Buff, he doesn't look great."
Buffer chuckled. "Indeed." He looked at Bomber. "What's for dinner?"
"Pork Sausages and Mediterranean Vegetables."
Buffer grinned. "Great, I'm starving." He glanced at Spider. "You have five minutes to get to the bridge."
Spider gaped for a minute. "You're okay with this? I mean, you aren't going to give us a lecture or something?"
Buffer lowered an eyebrow. "Do you want a lecture?"
"Well, no, just, well…"
"Spider, as far as I'm concerned you're both very capable adults. Plus, with all the shit in the world right now I'm not going to deny you the one good thing we have left, even if I'm probably the only one on this ship getting nothing." He gave a dramatic sigh and Bomber smiled. He glanced back at Spider. "Just, one thing mate."
Spider nodded. "Yes Buff?"
"Not in my bunk." He gave them a grin and left, shutting the door behind him. The minute he was gone Bomber burst into peels of uncontrollable laughter.
Spider gave her a sour look. "This isn't funny."
"It's… hilarious." Bomber managed through her tears, grabbing a stitch that was forming at her side. "Your face." She put her hand to her mouth as he gave her a look. "Oh don't give me that look, it was your idea."
Spider sighed and threw off the sheet covering him, walking past her into the bathroom and grabbing his clothes. "We were lucky it was Buffer. Buffer's cool."
Bomber giggled. "And Nav totally could've reprimanded us. Like she and ET aren't still at it, kid or no kid." She rolled her eyes. "Buffer's right. There's a lot of shit going on right now and a lot of sadness. But as messed up as this is, we have this." Spider stuck his head out from behind the bathroom door and looked at her. She gave him a smile. "And this is the only thing keeping me sane."
"I keep you sane? Damn, my noble art of driving you insane is gone." He emerged from the bathroom, buttoning up his shirt.
Bomber smiled and grabbed his hands. "Who said you still don't drive me insane?" He smiled and kissed her. She pouted as he pulled away. "That's all I'm getting?" She started unbuttoning his shirt again.
He caught her hands. "Bomber, Buffer gave me five minutes."
Bomber grinned. "Still more time than you need." Then, kissing him, she shoved him back towards the bunk.