Unexpected Encounter

A/N – A short one, but the next is following soon, I promise, and will probably be longer. Thank you to everyone who is sticking by me through this story, especially those who take the time to review, it means a lot to me and all comments are taken on board.

DISCLAIMER – I have no rights over the Thunderbird characters. I should mention that Angel does belong to me - though not any comic book analogies.

Chapter Ten – Lost again?

The next morning the clouds had cleared and there was a slight chill to the air, as Scott continued his journey west. He had taken a few wrong turns the day before, and had needed to find a small bed and breakfast to spend the night in. The landlord had been invaluable, he had been able to tell Scott exactly how to get to the address he had been given, as he 'grew up in that there area, ain't I? It's a bit lonely mind, not many shops around so make sure you stock up before you go. Them moors get bleak if the mist comes in. Very easy for a man to lose his way.'

Scott had duly followed advice and now had a car load of groceries as well as a hand drawn map to the village he was after. The old man had even known where to find the cottage, something Scott had been confused about after failing to find it on any of the maps he'd searched online, but apparently it could only be accessed on foot. 'Good job I used to do quite a bit of orienteering,' he thought aloud as he continued on his way.

He was coming to realise that the map he'd been provided with was not entirely accurate. It was true that it seemed to show him the road ahead, but the distances were entirely misrepresented, leading to several U-turns as he tried to follow the somewhat confusing directions. As he got closer, the landscape became more and more rural, and eventually all that he could see in the distance was rolling moorland. It was at around this time that the clouds began to settle down into the valleys, and he realised with alarm that he had spent most of the day trying to navigate across this strange country and had lost track of time. He was relieved to eventually drive into a little village, and he pulled over near a small green to have a look around.

He'd rarely been to England, and was in awe of the landscape before him. A few small cottages nestled in the foreground, with the wilderness rising on all sides surrounding them. He was in a small valley, and the single track road he'd been following was winding its way along between two small dry stone walls separating it from the moors. Periodically during his journey he'd rumbled over cattle grids, and then there had been no boundary between him and the bleakness that threatened to engulf the little car. He'd been pleased when he'd entered the village to find some sign of habitation, but now looking around at the dark huts he wasn't so sure. With the mist rolling in it didn't feel particularly inviting, and other than the light pooling out from a few of the small windows there was no sign of life.

Eventually he pulled himself together, 'Are you a Tracy or not!' he muttered, and approached the cottage nearest him. He could see a light burning in one of the windows, and hoped it meant somebody was inside. He knocked loudly on the door, and a hush seemed to fall over the village. Eventually the door opened a small amount, and a face looked out at him.

"Hi," Scott started with a smile, his tone slightly faltering at the expression of the woman. "I'm a bit lost, I'm looking for this address." He held out the small piece of paper, and the woman took it off him suspiciously. She was middle aged and small, and was obviously sceptical about why he was here.

"What do you want with this place?"

He was even more put off by her tone, which combined the earlier suspicion with a level of hostility. "I'm looking for someone, a lady with brown, wavy hair and brown eyes, about this high?" He measured Angel's approximate height against him, and the woman softened immediately.

"Oh, you're a friend of Angel's! Sorry to be cautious, you don't know who is about these days. This looks like her writing, so she must be expecting you. I've not known her have many friends before now, mind." The woman opened the door further, and Scott could see that she was dressed in an old fashioned knitted jumper with cats on it and a pair of jogging bottoms. Seeing him look, she shrugged. "I wasn't expecting visitors, not many people come down here, especially at this time of night."

"Can you help me get there?"

"I can, but do you want to be heading up there now? It's easy to get lost on the moors."

"I think I need to."

"Well it's up to you, you'd struggle to find anywhere else to stay anyway. You're nearly there, you need to take a right at the next crossroads, and follow the road until it ends. From there you have to walk across two fields, turn right again at the second stile to cross the brook and you'll see the cottage ahead of you up the valley."

Scott thanked the woman for her help, and set off to follow her directions. He found the road with no problem, and continued along it as it wound its way up another valley. It ended abruptly at a gate, and he parked up the car. "Guess this is as far as we can go together," he muttered to it, then smiled to himself at his tendency to talk to machines. "My brothers would think I'm mad, but then maybe I am for coming out here at all." He grabbed a rucksack from the boot and packed it with a small amount of food and some overnight supplies. He then grabbed a torch and headed across the fields on foot.

The mist soon disorientated him, but somehow he found the stile by the brook. He crossed the bridge, jumping off the far edge and not seeing the mud surrounding him. He cursed loudly as he landed in it, and when struggling to get out found that he was stuck. With a sigh he waved goodbye to one of his shoes as he pulled himself out, and looked around. The fog was so dense here that there was no chance of him finding the cottage, and he was about to just start heading up the valley (or at least, what he hoped was the valley), when at that moment a figure appeared out of the mist.

"Have you made finding me a habit?"

Angel smiled at him through the gloom. "I was forewarned – Jane called to let me know that some American was looking for me and that she sent him up the footpath. She seemed to think you would get lost, but you've done pretty well to get this far." She neglected to mention that Jane had also spent a good five minutes elaborating on how handsome the American had been.

"I think I would have struggled from this point – I was told I would see the cottage but…" Scott spread his hands wide, and Angel could see his point. The fog was so dense in this valley that they could barely see their hands in front of their faces.

"Normally it's obvious but it is bad tonight, I wouldn't have found you if not for the torch. Follow me." She began to lead him up alongside the brook, and very soon Scott could see the lights in the windows of the cottage shining ahead of them. They entered through the front door and with a sigh of relief he put the rucksack down against the wall and looked around. The cottage was small, the downstairs appeared to be split into two rooms, the sitting room they were standing in and a kitchen off to one side. A mezzanine floor above the kitchen held what appeared to be the single bedroom, he could see the stairs leading to it from where he was, but couldn't see what lay up there. He forgot all that in a moment though, as he looked at the woman before him.

Unlike every time he'd seen her before, this time she wasn't dressed in her black, skin tight suit. Now she was wearing a simple grey dress that hung down to her knees, underneath she was wearing bright green wellington boots in a combination that he found endearing. Her hair was the brown he'd thought from the cave, a rich chestnut brown that captured the light being produced from the one small, flickering lamp that was illuminating the room.

"You came to find me." It was a statement not a question, and she stood facing him with her arms folded across her chest and an impassive look on her face, that turned to puzzlement as she added "and you're only wearing one shoe."

He looked down at his mud soaked sock. "I lost it in the mud. And I came to return this." He pulled a small piece of black fabric out of his pocket, opening it out to reveal a mask.

She came closer and took it off him, scrutinising it without moving away. Her nearness made him almost dizzy, and he barely registered when she spoke to him. "You came a long way just to give this back."

He couldn't think of a reply, really he was struggling to think at all. So he did the only thing that seemed to make sense to him. He kissed her.