"You don't have to do this if you don't want to..." Martin looked over at Kate, who was fidgeting with her seatbelt anxiously.

"No, I'm ok." She gave him a nervous smile.

It had seemed such a good idea at the time. Martin had called in a favour to borrow a small training plane at Fitton for a few hours and talked Kate into coming with him. He'd hoped that it might help with her fear of flying and he desperately wanted to share something he loved with her. Now, sitting on the runway and looking at the nerves etched into Kate's face, he felt bad for having pushed her.

"We can turn back." He reached for the radio to signal to the tower, but Kate reached his hand before he could press the button to speak.

"No. I want to do this." She told him, probably with more bravery than she felt.

He smiled at her reassuringly; or at least as reassuringly as he knew how.

Kate looked apprehensively at the instruments in front of her seat. "But you're sure that I can't...you know...accidently..."

Martin let out a small chuckle. "No. Absolutely not. "

"But what if I knock it or something?" She gestured at the control column.

"I promise you can't accidently do anything. I have control." He told her firmly.

Kate broke into a smile. "Yes, Captain."

He couldn't help but grin back at her. He had to admit he really liked it when she used his title. It made a change to hear it spoken with, if not respect exactly, then affection.

The radio crackled to life.

"Foxtrot Lima Yankee. Are you going to take-off sometime today? Or are we using you as a runway speed-bump?"

Martin snapped back into professional pilot mode. "ATC this is Foxtrot Lima Yankee. Requesting permission for take-off."

"You had permission ten minutes ago. Thought you were waiting for a parade or something."

"Carl!" Martin barked back at the radio automatically. Carl was infuriatingly unprofessional at times.

He heard Carl sigh over the radio. "Foxtrot Lima Yankee, cleared for take-off."

"Roger, ATC." Martin straightened in his seat and turned to Kate. "Ready?"

She nodded and faced forward, her hands gripping the arms of her seat.

Martin turned back toward the windshield and started to gradually open the throttle on the little plane. As it gathered speed down the runway, his well practiced hands glided over various instruments and control column. His eyes darted imperceptibly from the windshield to the gauges in front of him, checking and re-checking. His vision blurred at the edges, tunnelled on what he was doing; the rest of the cockpit, the plane, Kate, drifting away. He loved this bit.

Take-off line? OK.

Windspeed? Low.

Ailerons? Neutral.

Rudder? Centred.

Groundspeed? Good.

Engines? Full power.

He could almost feel the air rushing under the wings, cushioning them, pushing the plane skywards. He knew the exact moment the wheels left the ground, not because of the physical sensations in the plane, but because he just knew.

Concentrate, Martin.

Airspeed? OK.

Attitude? Lift the nose just a little…..yes…better.

The ground dropped away fast as the plane climbed, the sound of the engines filling his head. He'd forgotten when this had all become so….automatic. He made minor adjustments almost quicker than he could think. He was in control. And it was almost the only thing in life he was in control of.

The plane reached a good altitude and Martin let back on the throttle slightly, levelling the nose.

He looked over at Kate, finally. "You ok?"

She looked as white as a sheet, but nodded slowly. "T-t-that was...kind of petrifying..." She breathed out. "...but also...a little bit amazing."

"Really?" Martin's voice came out a little bit like a child who'd just been given a huge Christmas present.

She looked at him smiling slightly. "Yes...but I'm still painfully aware that I am currently several thousand feet above the ground!"

"Seven thousand."

"Not really helping."

"Sorry."

There was a slight pause, as he watched Kate sneaking an uneasy look out her side window. He couldn't help but laugh.

"Don't laugh at me, Crieff! And keep your eyes on the controls!"

Martin tried to look contrite, but couldn't quite manage it. "Don't worry, I'm perfectly in contr..."

A warning light suddenly started flashing on the console in front of them, as a loud alarm sounded.

"W-w-what's that?" Kate asked, alarm rising in her voice.

"Oh, nothing." Martin reached to shut the alarm off automatically, before looking toward Kate, whose face had gone ashen.

"It must be something!" She cried out.

"It's just a warning alarm to do with the avionics. I've reset it. It's nothing to worry about." Martin kept his voice calm, trying to reassure her.

She eyed him suspiciously, glancing every now and then to the warning light.

"It's fine!" Martin heard himself exclaiming loudly, somewhat exasperated.

This was odd. He was normally the one panicking in the cockpit, with Douglas the voice of reason and calm. Here was the situation completely reversed. He couldn't help but smile.

"OK." Kate let her grip on the side of her chair lessen a little. "Sorry." She looked sheepish, the colour returning to her cheeks in a blush. "I'm just...you know...nervous."

Martin looked back to the instrument panel, mentally checking a few gauges and adjusted their flight-path just slightly. "I know." He reassured her. "Are you like this in the cabin on Gertie?" He asked her absently, genuinely curious.

"N-n-no..." She stuttered.

Oh yes, situation very much reversed. He shot her a sly smile.

"Well, I can't see the alarms on Gertie, can I?!" She bellowed defensively.

"Just as well." Martin couldn't help but quip.

There was a bit of a silence again, before Kate pipped up, her voice a little calmer. "I did...sort of...well...h-h-have a bit of a panic attack on the first flight."

"You did? Arthur didn't mention..."

"No, because I threatened Arthur never to mention it."

"You threatened Arthur?" Martin felt somewhere between amused and horrified.

"Not like that." Kate clarified. "I just told him I'd never play Charades with him if he told."

"Oh. Yes. Yes I can see how that would work." Martin had to admit, taking a mental note to use that one some time. He cast a sidelong glance at her. "Are you going to have another one now?"

"Huh?" Kate was distractedly looking out the window again.

"Panic attack." He couldn't hide the amusement in his voice, though he knew it wasn't really something to joke about.

She shot a look at him. "I don't know. Are any more warning alarms going to go off?" She asked pointedly.

Touché.

They lapsed into silence again for a moment, as Martin made more adjustments to their course, casting furtive looks towards Kate. Had he annoyed her? He was trying to lighten the mood, but perhaps he'd taken it too far. Afterall, it wasn't often he was the one in this position on a flight deck. Is this what it felt like to be Douglas? To tease the nervous one in the seat beside you?

Oh.

"What's it like?"

Kate's sudden question brought him back into the moment. "What's...what?" He stumbled.

"Flying...you know...being in control of a plane." Kate explained, looking at him again at last.

Martin was taken slightly aback at the question. "Well...it's...it's exhilarating...it's..."

"No. In don't mean that." She interrupted him. "I think I've already heard you use every adjective ever invented in that regard. I mean what does it feel like." She gestured toward the control column.

"Oh." He thought about it for the moment. "Why don't you see for yourself?"

Kate looked at him slightly stricken. "What? Me?"

"You want to know."

"No. No, no, no, no..." Kate shook her head.

"Just try it." Martin began to get keener on the idea the more he thought about it.

"God, no. We'll...we'll crash!" Kate cried out.

Martin chuckled. "No we won't."

"Yes...yes we will. I can't fly a plane, Martin!"

"Relax. It's a training plane. It's designed for people to learn."

Kate looked sceptical. "I don't think that I can..."

"Of course you can. It's easy."

"If it's so easy how come it took you so long to pass your exams?" Kate exclaimed, before immediately retracting her words, sheepishly. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean that..."

"It's ok." Martin tried to let the sting of the words pass over him, before realising he could use it against her. "I understand if you don't trust me..." He let his sentence drift off for effect.

Kate's face fell immediately. "Martin, I didn't mean...of course I trust you." She looked at the control column in front of her suspiciously. "I really can't crash it?"

Martin tried to hide his smirk as he shook his head. Never let it be said that Martin Crieff was totally incapable of bending people to his will. "I won't let anything happen, I'd take over straight away if anything went wrong."

Kate paled.

"Which it won't." He continued quickly.

She took a deep breath. "O...k. What do I do?"

Martin straightened himself in his seat. "Take hold of the controls in front of you."

Kate reached forward slowly, tentatively taking a hold of the control column. "Like this?" She asked.

Martin could see her grip on the controls wasn't anywhere near tight enough. "That's good, but you need to hold it a bit more firmly." He instructed her.

"I'm worried about moving it."

Martin chuckled. "The idea is to move it."

She shot him a look, but obeyed his instructions, a look of concentration on her face.

"That's it. Just hold it steady and do exactly as I say." Martin watched her, all the while keeping his eye on the dials in front of him. "Now, remember, it's pull to go up, push to go down and turn to go left or right."

"That's it?" Kate's knuckles were white.

"Well...no..." Martin admitted. "But it's all you need to know right now." Kate nodded and Martin continued. "So just keep everything right where it is for the moment, ok?"

"Ok." Kate's voice sounded shaky.

"I'm going to switch the controls over to you now." He told her slowly, reaching forward to the control panel.

Kate swallowed thickly and nodded slowly, but kept her hands steady on the controls.

Martin flicked the switch and slowly took his own hands away from the control column in front of him. "...and you now have control." He told her, a grin on his face.

"I...um...I do?" The look of concentration on Kate's face was complete, like she daren't even move a millimetre. "Oh God."

"You're doing fine." Martin reassured her, turning to face her properly since they'd taken off.

"I am?"

"Yes."

"This is..." She seemed to struggle for the words. "...really weird."

"Weird good? Or weird bad?"

"Weird...good?" Her answer was more of a question. "I think."

Martin checked the panels in front of him, they were still flying level and on course, but needed to make a slight turn.

"You're doing brilliantly." He appeased her. "We need to make a turn."

"Nononono...I can't do that!" The panic was apparent in her eyes.

"Yes, you can." He told her calmly. "Just do exactly what I say." He waited for her quiet acknowledgement before continuing. "Ok. Just slowly turn the column to the right...slowly..." He reiterated, his gaze flicking between her and the gauges in front of him. Kate began to move the controls just barely. "A little more than that." He laughed.

Kate moved the controls a little more positively this time, and Martin felt the plane responding with a turn. "That's perfect. Hold it there." He held out his hand to still her for a moment. "OK. And slowly back." Kate complied straight away. "Bring the nose up a little."

"Huh?"

"Sorry, I mean... pull back on the steering column...gently and just a little bit." Kate did what he said again, perfectly, and Martin felt his chest swell with pride. "Stop there. Now just hold it there again. Textbook." He beamed.

He saw Kate relax just a tiny bit. "Have a good teacher."

Me? A good teacher?

He looked to Kate again, she was biting her bottom lip in concentration and Martin couldn't help his ear to ear grin.

"What?" She could clearly see him.

"You can relax and smile you know?" He told her.

"I can't relax. I'm flying a plane!" She let out a laugh. "I'm bloody flying a plane!" It was an exclamation of disbelief.

Martin joined in laughing. "And how does it feel?"

"It feels..." She paused, a smile creeping across her face. "...amazing. Totally amazing! Look at me, I'm flying a plane!"

"Glad I talked you into it then?" He beamed.

"Yes, I am." The grin on her face grew. "God, I love you."

-oOo-

It took Kate a moment to realise what she'd said, as Martin fell suddenly silent beside her.

Nice one Kate, great timing!

"Y-y-you...you...love..."

Martin wasn't making any coherent sense, instead sounding like he was starting to hyperventilate. Kate began to worry that he was the one now having a panic attack. She shot him a worried look, still gripping the controls as if her life depended on it. Actually it did. "Martin?...Martin!...I'm sorry...that just...it just...slipped out." She exclaimed, trying to explain.

"But...you..." Martin still wasn't getting any words out.

Kate was trying not to panic herself, acutely aware that she was currently holding the controls to the plane. "Martin breathe...just breathe." She urged him. "Forget I said it. I take it back!" She tried to keep her voice calm.

"...you..."

"I didn't mean it...it was a mistake. Heat of the moment. Got carried away." She was beginning to panic now, saying anything to make him listen. "...Martin! I need you to focus! ...I really need you to focus!" She took a deep breath. "And mostly, I need you to take control of the plane!"

Beside her Martin's breathing started to calm down at her words at last. "Yes...I-I-I...sorry..." He reached forward to the console and pressed a couple of buttons, putting his hands back on the controls in front of him. "I...uh...I have control. You can let go now." She heard him swallow, concentrating once again on the task in hand.

Kate let the controls go with relief and lent back in her seat, wiping her now rather sweaty palms over her jeans. She took a deep breath to centre herself, before sneaking a look towards Martin.

"You ok?" She asked him.

"Yes. I'm fine." He answered too quickly, studying the console in front him a little too closely.

"Martin...I..." Kate needed to explain now the initial panic of the situation had worn away.

"It's ok." He nodded. "You said it was a mistake. It's fine really. We all say things we don't mean in the heat of the moment. It's fine. All fine. Totally fine."

"Martin."

"Really fine. I...I'm fine."

"Martin."

"It's not...I mean...it's not like I..."

Kate studied his profile, realising his was biting his lower lip to stop it from trembling. "Martin." She put a hand on his thigh. "If I tell you something, do you promise not to crash the plane?"

Martin nodded slowly. Still not looking at her.

"Of course I love you, you daft sod."