A/N May 4, 2019: If you currently are reading this story, note that all chapters have been updated. See author's note for chapter 1.

Chapter 10: The hit

GEORGIE

Georgie's night away did not render many questions upon her return. After all, the lie that she had been offered shelter by a woman from the clinic was easier to believe than the truth would have been. Even to her it was equally unbelievable that Bones was alive, and that she had slept with him – more than once and without regretting it She giggled at the thought of what the others' reaction would be if she told them that, but of course she kept it to herself. As the days passed she found it harder to believe that it had happened. Had it really, or was she becoming delirious from the heat and the hard work?

Two weeks went by without any message from Jack. This was longer than he had seemed to anticipate so something must have gotten in the way. She got increasingly restless and pushed herself at the clinic to keep her mind occupied. Whenever she met the Brigadier, she had to fight to hide her contempt and she longed for the day when he would be seized. She could not understand how a British officer of his rank could involve himself in something so petty and so ruthless, as being involved in drug trade.

On a more personal level, she was often wondering what Bones/Jack was doing now. In his absence, he almost became two persons too her; Bones, the rough captain they all had known and dreaded; and Jack, the warm, gentle and seriously hot man that had been her lover for one night. She could not know if there would ever be anything more to it. She was not even sure what she wanted but he was intriguing and impossible to keep out of her head during the quiet evenings.

Neither did she know how Jack had planned to contact her. Finally, one day at the clinic, a village boy handed her a note. Her heart pounded with excitement as she opened it.

Time to move. Brief C.J. & 2 section. Await further instructions.

J

Not that she had expected the message to end with "Lots of love, XXX" but she could not help feeling a bit deflated for a second. Then she shrugged her shoulders. How stupid, of course this was not the time for being personal, not even if he wanted to.

"You don't bring personal to battlefield" she reminded herself in a whisper.

She left the clinic early and went looking for Captain James in his office and knocked on the door.

"Permission to enter" he said, and when he saw her added, "Relax, Lane".

She noticed that he looked a bit pale and his dark eyes were a bit unfocused, as if he was somewhere far away in his mind.. She was immediately concerned.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes, I think so" he said, still seeming a bit absent. Then he finally looked at her for real and seemed to snap back to the present and even gave her a wry smile.

"Yes! Yes, definitely! I'm just a bit shaken."

"What Charlie?"

"I just face timed with Molly."

"And? Not any bad news, I hope?"

"On the contrary." He hesitated briefly, but then went on with excitement in his voice. "Okay, I have to share this with someone! When Molly came visiting me in rehab in Warwickshire and we made up... well... we really made up, if you know what I mean."

If the words had not been enough, his blushing cheeks told her the rest.

"You mean to say you had make-up sex?" Georgie smirked.

Captain James could use rough language with the men and did not shy away from profane jokes, but when it came to his personal life and especially Molly, he was normally very polite and private. 2 section had not even known he had divorced from his first wife until him and Molly finally had revealed their relationship many months after the return from the Afghan tour where they met.

"Hum, well, yes...Something like that."

"Okay?"

"The last weeks she has been feeling sick... in the mornings."

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?

"We're having a baby, Georgie! She just told me now she had taken a test and it was positive!"

"And you're glad, right?"

"Yes! I'm ecstatic! I'm just a bit shocked too", he grinned "I mean, we had decided we wanted this now, but we both thought we would start trying when I got back from this tour, and that it might take some time before we actually got pregnant, but now she will already be three months pregnant when I come home!"

"I'm so happy for you two Charlie! It will be the cutest baby in the world, I'm sure."

She had to give him a big hug and she was thrilled that things were going this way. She had known it all along - Charles and Molly belonged together. They always would.

He regained his composure but the look in his eyes remained that of a very happy man.

"Don't tell anyone, please. Early days and I think Molly would want our parents to know before 2 section, even if they are family to us too in a way."

"You don't have to worry, I won't tell anyone. Pinkie promise."

"Enough about me, , you were looking for me for something else I reckon?"

"Something else entirely, I'm afraid."

When she had finished telling the story to him, he shook his head in disbelief. She had omitted the part that she had spent the night in Bones' room because Captain James was the last person she wanted to suspect what had actually happened. Instead she told him that Bones had caught her on the way from the clinic one day and they had talked for a while. Luckily, James did not question this.

"So, you're telling me that Bones is alive, he faked his own death to be able to get to the Brigadier, who is a drug dealer, and now Bones needs our help to complete the operation? That's a lot to take in!" he sighed. "I thought I had already had my share of shocking news today. But of course, even if Bones and I never see eye to eye we will stand by him, like he has stood by us in the past, if he has evidence against the Brigadier.

They both thought back to the numerous situations in Nigeria and Belize when Bones had saved both their lives, risking his own. It was time to pay back.

"Now, let's go brief the others so we're all prepared when we get word from Bones"

- OG -

Next, things were happening quickly. Now that Captain James knew everything, it was him Bones contacted directly, communicating officer to officer. A secret encounter was arranged between the two and at the end of it, James was fully convinced that Bones' story and evidence held up. Plans were completed, and 2 section briefed about their role.

Over the last weeks, Bones had solidified the evidence incriminating the Brigadier but found out that Chowdhrey was not involved. On the contrary, Chowdhrey had been doing his own investigations of other members of the police as well as the Bangladeshi general who was the close acquaintance of the Brigadier. Likely, it was him who once had involved the Brigadier in the drug trade. Now Bones, supported by the recently arrived Spanner and Peanut were collaborating with Chowdhrey and the plan was to strike simultaneously against all the identified criminals. Bones, his team and 2 section would take on the Brigadier, which was the only one within their jurisdiction, and leave the rest to Chowdhrey and his men.

The raid took place two days later, at the break of dawn when the Brigadier was still snuggled up in bed.

Bones, Spanner and Peanut secretly joined the gathered 2 section in the early morning for a briefing before the operation was initiated. They had all been informed that Bones was alive, and the Brigadier was a corrupt drug dealer, and were not sure which was most shocking. They had found it hard to believe Bones was not dead until he now stood before them in the flesh with his usual grim look. They almost expected him to start shouting that they were a miserable bunch he could not trust to join him on this mission, but surprisingly he smiled warmly even if he spoke with his usual sarcasm.

"Good to see you again guys. Bet you're really happy to have me back to kick your lazy arses. Anyway, as I know Captain James already has informed you, this is the operation I have tried to prepare you for. This is no fucking pointless parade to impress some top brass. This is the real deal and I need you to be at your best today because we don't know how many we will have against us. It may all run smooth or there might be a blood bath if they put up resistance, but I intend for all of us to come out of it alive. We are going to catch a ruthless criminal, I'm counting on you."

His in this instant steel blue eyes wandered over them as he spoke, over Georgie like any of the others and it disturbed her that it stung a little when he did not linger on her even for a second longer than on the others or with any flicker of emotion. When he was standing there tall and broad-shouldered, dressed in full kit and armed, he seemed very far away from the man she had spent a night with. For a moment, she wished that she could peel all the layers off from Bones and have Jack back. He had told her it would be like this, had even warned her it would be hard, but she had not realised it would feel like this. Like shit.

The operation was initiated, the camouflaged team moving silently and swiftly between the buildings. On command, 2 section hid close to the Brigadier's quarters prepared to assist when Bones and his special forces unit strike. The Brigadier was taken completely by surprise when armed men stormed his bedside and he found himself looking down a rifle. Especially, he was shocked to see the operation lead by Bones, alive and well.

"You! How?" he hissed, spitting and with a look of disgust and fear his face.

"I have a few tricks up my sleeve. Aren't you glad to see me? I thought I was your favourite captain. I'm thrilled to see you - in cuffs, as you should be." Bones said mockingly.

The Brigadier was brusquely pulled out of bed and carefully watched as he got dressed.

"I have done nothing to deserve this! You will regret this, just wait! I will have you demoted to a shit hole!" he warned.

"I doubt that. There is plenty of evidence that you're involved in drug trade here and our orders come from the highest instance. I bet it is you who will spend the rest of your days in a shit hole, or as close as we get to that back in civilised UK. I wouldn't mind leaving you here in a prison full of mosquitos, but it seems like they want me to bring you home."

Spanner held on to the now cuffed Brigadier and started to lead him away. When the group came outside, 2 section cheered lowly to themselves, but Georgie thought of Bones' words to them in the past, never to relax until it an operation was over and to stay focused on the surroundings, so she tried to do that even if the presence of Bones himself ironically was a distraction to her.

Suddenly she saw a movement at the corner of her eye. Someone sneaking up from behind one of the buildings pointing a gun at the trio Bones, Spanner and Brigadier.

"Bones, Spanner - down!" she shouted and without thinking ran and threw herself at Bones to push him down. Normally she would never had been able to bring down his much more massive body, but he had registered her warning and let himself fall to the ground with her. Spanner pulled the Brigadier to the ground just as the gun fired with a deafening sound.

The shooter was a Bangladeshi man and either he was loyal to the Brigadier and had wanted to free him, or he had wanted to silence him now when it was obvious that he was exposed. He was quickly wrestled down and disarmed by Fingers and Monk and cuffed like the Brigadier.

Georgie lay panting on top of Bones. She realised felt no pain, the only sensation was his hard body under hers, so luckily she had not been hit. Their faces were only inches apart, his eyes meeting hers.

"Are you unharmed" she asked and, in a whisper, added "... Jack?"

There was a hint of the corners of his mouth tugging upwards at the secret intimacy.

"I'm fine. Thanks."

"I figured it was my time to save your life."

"Glad you did, it was about bloody time. Are you unharmed, Lane?"

"Yes" she said, now a little stiff as she noticed the formal way he addressed her, and she regretted she had used his name. In one sentence, even one word, he had made it blatantly clear that he was nothing more than a superior officer to her. They got up, brushed themselves off and his attention was shifted to the surroundings without any acknowledgement of a special bond between them what so ever. Their night was obviously an exception to be forgotten.

The combination of the adrenaline rush which the sight of the sniper and the shooting had caused, and the complex feelings Jack's presence evoked made her slightly unsteady, but she swallowed, clenched her fists and tried to keep herself together. Wished that she was the same emotionless machine that he seemed to be, standing beside her looking grim but also incredibly handsome. She had to forget about them and just be grateful he was safe and sound. Then he was gone, moving on to the next part of the raid, to support Chowdhrey in the hunt of all who had been identified as part of the drug trade.