Ok, long chapter. Probably the longest I've written.
Please bear with me with this story. It's not something I'm used to writing, and I suppose this is me trying to get back into writing again. Thanks to all the readers for your patience.
Disclaimer: All rights reserved. All OCs belong to me.
Standing in front of the mirror, Graham inspected his reflection. He fiddled with his bowtie, brushed off his shoulder and ran a hand through his gelled back hair. He adjusted his cufflinks and pulled at his jacket sleeves, making sure they were down. As a final touch, he tugged his lapels straight. Then he sighed. He would never get used to wearing such formal attire. True, he liked how it made him look, and he couldn't help but pull a 'James Bond' pose at his reflection, with obligatory finger gun and giving his impression of Sean Connery's "Shaken, not stirred". He laughed a little at himself, turning away from the well-groomed man in the mirror. He checked his watch. 17:30. All the staff were meeting at the fire station at 18:00 and were then getting transport to Creighton-Ward Manor. He smiled. He knew what that meant. There would be plenty that would be worse for wear. Thankfully, none that were going were on duty the next day. Himself included.
"Well, Gray, time for you and this monkey suit to get this show on the road."
…..
It was only a fifteen minute drive between his apartment and the Station. He grinned as he pulled into park and got out of the car. The rest of the Watch were there, each and everyone spruced up and dressed to nines.
"Well, well, look at all these daisies ready to be plucked." His colleagues responded accordingly, each one throwing their own insults and laughing. He easily melded into the mess of well-dressed, dapper firemen, catching sight of a few of the women there. One caught his attention.
"Whoa, Jessica! Look at you!" Jessica Brown was a tall, black-haired Scottish woman who had nerves of steel and a tongue to match. She was currently dressed in a light blue gown, her hair pulled back into a French pleat and held in place with a sparkling comb. She looked stunning, and was either unaware or unphased by some of the men trying to catch her eye.
"Look at yerself. Our Gray all grown-up, and with a dickie-bow to match!" Graham laughed, hooking his arm around her shoulders. She batted at him, grinning. "Get off with ya!"
"Aww, but I wanted a hug." She laughed at his pout.
"Then go hug yer boyfriend over there!" She motioned to Terry, who was currently chatting to Sally and Neil. It was no secret that he and Terry were all but inseparable, even so far as to be called the 'Terrible two' if anyone got pranked at the Station. They weren't always the culprits, but they always seemed to be in the vicinity.
"Alright, alright, I'm going. But seriously, Jess. You look a million pounds."
"Ah, you don't look so bad yerself." He winked good-humouredly and made his way over.
"Hey, there's our resident smooth operator now. Looking good Gray."
"Hey guys. How's things?"
"Just waiting on Pete and the minibus gettin' here and then we're off. Ah, here he comes." All eyes turned as the minibus pulled up, the almost imposing figure of Station Manager Peter Grill alighting. As a manager, he commanded the respect of those employed at the station. Out of uniform, Peter was 'one of the lads', as Terry put it. He turned and cast his gaze on those awaiting his arrival. He smiled at the turn out.
"Right then, you rowdy lot!" The group fell silent, all attention on him. "I don't need to remind you that you are representing this station. As such, I want you all to be on your best behaviour. That includes you, Mr Colson." He cast a steely gaze at Graham's best friend and then moved it to Graham. It took all he had not to throw a salute. He heard some of the Watch trying not to snicker.
"Understood, sir." Peter nodded.
"Right then, anything else? Oh yes. Please try to remember that we are going to the home of Lady Creighton-Ward, one of the few stately homes left in England. You will go only where you are instructed, and act in an orderly fashion. Understood, everyone?" He smiled at the responses. "Right. Let's get going then."
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It had been decided that Karol would go earlier than planned, so that she could meet the rest of the ensemble and get a good look at the music they would be playing. Much to her dismay, her brothers had been called away on a rescue. They'd all wished her luck and said their goodbyes. She was grateful when Tin-tin offered to accompany her.
"It'll be a girls only weekend," she'd said. Jeff had given his permission, and soon they were on their way.
"Are you looking forward to it, Karol?" Tin-tin asked as the blonde adjusted the controls of Tracy 1. They'd run into some turbulence over the Atlantic Ocean.
"Yeah, kinda. It's been some time since I've played alongside other musicians. It'll certainly be an experience."
"Are you nervous?" Karol smiled a little.
"Not at the moment." She glanced at the younger woman. "Then again, I may not be." Tin-tin looked at her, her dark eyes glistening with question.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I think the whole...incident a couple of years ago has given me a new outlook on things."
"You mean, when you were trapped down the cave with that little boy? Jake?" Karol shuddered.
"Yeah. That one. I dunno. I think I've realised that if I can face down any number of different life-threatening situations then I can definitely face a few hundred people and play a violin." Tin-tin beamed.
"I'm glad to hear Karol! I love when you play your music. What with you, Virgil and Gordon when he plays the guitar, you could almost form a band!" Karol laughed.
"Move over the Von Trapp Family Singers! We've got the Tracy Tribe!" The women laughed as they entered British Airspace.
"Ok, it won't be long before we come to London Airport. I'm going to radio ahead and get clearance."
"Parker is meeting us there, isn't he?"
"That's what Penny said." Tin-tin yawned, looking out at the sky as Karol got permission to land from London Tower and began final approach.
"This is the only thing that I hate about air travel. It should only be about nine in the morning, and yet here it's three in the afternoon."
"Yeah, it is a little strange. You get used to it though."
"Do you suppose everyone else suffers from jet lag?" Karol laughed.
"Oh Tin-tin, the stories I could tell." She fell silent as she concentrated on bringing the jet in to land. The wheels squeaked as they made contact with the tarmac, the plane slowing to a stop. She taxied down to the allotted bay and cut the power. As promised, Parker was ready and waiting for them. The two ladies picked up their bags and exited the jet. Karol checked a few times to make sure it was completely locked down and, once satisfied, followed Tin-tin towards the butler. She greeted him with a smile.
"Hi Parker."
"Good h'afternoon, Miss Tracy, Miss Kyrano. The flight was pleasant, h'I trust?"
"Not too bad, thanks. We hit a bit of turbulence on the way, but nothing too bad." They followed him to Fab 1, placing their luggage in the boot. He then held the door to the Rolls Royce open for the two women, before getting in himself.
"'er Ladyship wishes to pass h'on 'er thanks, Miss Tracy, and said you're not to worry h'about h'all of the paper work for your jet. H'it's all ready been taken care h'off," he said over his shoulder. Karol nodded and smiled shyly.
"That's good then. And it's, er, no problem. Really. I'm happy to help, and to get away for a bit." He nodded and pulled away, leaving the airport far behind.
...
It took about half an hour to get to the Manor, where Penelope was waiting for them. She instructed Parker to take their luggage inside and turned to the women.
"Karol, darling. You really are my saviour." Karol blushed as Penny hugged them both.
"Tin-tin, so nice to see you. We really don't see each other enough."
"It's nice to see you too, Lady Penelope. I have to say, I'm quite excited about this evening. I've never been to anything like this before."
"Oh, I daresay that I've attended my fair share. Now, ladies, shall we go and make ourselves a bit more comfortable?" They followed the Lady up the steps and entered the Manor.
...
An hour and a half later, everything was getting set up. Karol had met the other musicians, all of whom recognised her from the New World Theatre. Karol had blushed at the attention, thanking them and brushing off their own thanks with a hand wave and a smile. Now, she and Tin-tin were busying themselves with each other's make-up and hair. Tin-tin giggled a little, causing Karol to laugh.
"What are you laughing at now?"
"I keep imagining Alan checking his watch and telling us to hurry up."
"Yeah, my baby brother can be very impatient." Then she frowned a little. "Actually, I think it must be a family trait for the Tracy men to be impatient. They're all the same. Even Dad."
"What about John?"
"John's not so bad, but he has his moments." They laughed. "There you go, Tin-tin. What do you think?" The younger woman turned her head this way and that, admiring her up-do.
"It's beautiful." Karol glanced at the clock.
"Right, time to get dressed. We have 45 minutes and counting." Tin-tin smiled cheekily.
"Calling International Rescue! Launch Thunderbird 6!" Karol hushed her, laughing.
"I'm going to need all the speed of my 'bird to get finished up in time."
"Then what are you waiting for? Thunderbirds are go!"
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The minibus pulled up outside the Manor at 19:00, joining the others that were there already. Lady Penelope, looking elegant as always in a beautiful black ball gown, met them at the door. Upon seeing the Lady, the manner of the group changed, their usual banter quietened and they acted in a much more professional manner. Penelope smiled as she cast her gaze across her guests.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to Creighton-Ward Manor. I sincerely hope that you'll enjoy your evening. Now, if you would like to follow my butler, Parker will show you through to the main hall." They did as asked, walking in orderly fashion behind the butler. Graham looked around at the surroundings. The home was huge, but then that didn't really come as a surprise. It was a Manor after all. He followed the group past the stairs and through to the main hall. He let out a low whistle.
"Wow."
"Yeah, my sentiments exactly. One hell of a place, huh?"
"You can say that again, Tez." The older man opened his mouth. Graham shot him a warning glance. "Don't." Terry laughed.
"I don't even know how they've managed to get this many people in here. No wonder it was on a first come, first served basis."
"Yeah. I wonder where they're doing the auction?"
"I wonder what's on the auction." Graham sighed, checking the place setting for his seat.
"Terry, don't you read anything? It's the usual stuff. You know, all expenses paid holiday, days out, that kinda thing. Oh, and apparently Lady Penelope has donated some of her jewellery, too."
"Oh. Not bad. I was expecting some kind of wacky prize. Or, you know, human auction. You know, 'Auction a Fireman?' Bet some of the lads would've been up for it, too."
"In a place like this? Don't be daft." They laughed.
"Yeah, I guess." The two men sat down, joining their colleagues, accepting champagne as it was brought round. They talked amongst themselves as they waited for things to get underway. Finally, a man dressed in ceremonial uniform came to the stage. Everyone stood, the hall becoming silent.
"Thank you. As all of you know, I am Chief Fire Officer Bill Robinson, and it gives me great pleasure to announce the start of the annual Charity Ball. However, before we do, I would like to propose a toast, before we all become too merry to remember what we are toasting." Laughter echoed through the hall. The CFO raised his hand, silencing the crowd once again."So, if you would all like to charge your glasses.
First of all, to Lady Penelope, who has kindly loaned her services so that we may celebrate another year of being." A chorus of cheers sang through the crowd as Lady Penelope turned to them and nodded her head.
"Second of all, a toast to those brave souls who cannot be here with us tonight, who are still out on service while we sit here and drink in their absence. And to all of those who are no longer with us, who have given their lives for the service." Another round of applause and cheers.
"Thirdly, to those who, earlier this year, helped tackle one of the largest blazes the city of London has seen in many years. You all know who you are, and to you, we give our thanks." Graham and the others around his table gave loud cheers, applauding each other.
"Alright, settle down. Lastly, I believe it is only proper to propose a toast, though we don't know who or where they are, to those brave souls that make up that fantastic organisation, International Rescue. Without their assistance, six lives would have been lost in that very same blaze." The applause was almost deafening. Many of the fire staff had worked alongside International Rescue at one time or another, and all had something to thank them for. Graham frowned a little as Terry nudged him, grinning like a Cheshire cat. The applause settled as Bill raised his hands again.
"Thank you. Now, without any further ado, let us enjoy ourselves." Once again, applause echoed through the great hall as Bill took his seat at the top table.
On the other side of the room, Karol shared a glance with Tin-tin. She spoke in a hushed voice as they joined the applause.
"Well, we'll have to report that back to Base." Tin-tin laughed.
"Just to bolster up a bit more ego?"
"Well, maybe just a little. Right, see you shortly." The younger woman gave her a thumbs up as Karol joined the other musicians on the stage. Once the CFO had sat down, they took their positions and began to play.
String music filled the room, giving the event a feeling of class. Graham felt himself relax back in his seat, listening to the light music. All around him, people were chatting and laughing, getting up to meet others from different areas of the country. Some of them had partnered off as the music became a waltz. He smiled as some of the younger members seemed to be at a loss of what to do. He liked to think himself a good enough dancer, but some of the older members had clearly taken classes or had been taught from an early age. He felt a tap on his shoulder. Sally Armstrong, one of his younger colleagues, stood there expectantly.
"Care to dance, Gray?" He shrugged.
"Sure, why not?" He stood and followed her through the throng. They held each other awkwardly, neither used to this type of music.
"It's wonderful here, isn't it?"
"Yeah. Suppose Her Ladyship has the money to make it though, huh?"
"That's true. Still, it feels like some kind of fairy tale." He laughed, giving the young woman the once over. She was one of the youngest on the brigade, and most of the crew had adopted her as their 'little sister'. She protested of course, but she secretly enjoyed it. She wouldn't tell them that, though. And she knew that they never meant anything by it.
"Did you see Jess?"
"Yeah, she's stunning. Then again, I think we all scrub up well." Sally laughed.
"Not exactly hard once we're out of bunker gear."
"True." He cast her a sly look. "Especially Neil." She blushed. It was also no secret that there was chemistry between those two, and some of the staff had placed bets on who would ask who out first.
"Well, I guess." Graham laughed.
Their awkward dance took them closer to the stage. Graham looked at the musicians as they passed, almost freezing where he stood.
There, on the far end of the quartet, sat a pale skinned, blonde haired woman, dressed in a fetching midnight blue gown. Her hair was pulled back into a pleat, ringlets framing her face. Concentration pinched her eyebrows, dark blue eyes glittering in the throes of musical passion. She was one of the most beautiful women he'd ever seen. And yet, there was something familiar about her. Something about her eyes...
And so, it begins.
Hope you all enjoyed it.