Deep breath in. Okay, here we go...

Chapter 55

When I entered the living room a short while later with the bakery bag in one hand and my coffee in the other, having taken the time to tidy the small mess I'd made prior to my video call and retrieved something from the freezer for my dinner tonight, I found Bobby stretched out in his usual spot on the sofa with his feet propped on the coffee table and an arm extended along the top of the sofa. And what had he chosen to watch? Ghostbusters, of all things. He already had the main menu of the DVD up on the screen and remote resting on the armrest next to his coffee-filled hand.

I looked from the screen to Bobby and back, shaking my head as I crossed circumvented the coffee table to sit beside him. "You know my TV is capable of playing DVDs other than Ghostbusters, right?" I quipped, settling onto edge of the cushion and retrieving another donut from the bag, holding out to him. He took it without question, taking a bite while I grabbed out my own.

"It's familiar," he pointed out easily. "Doesn't require a lot of mental capacity to keep up with what's going on. I thought it would perfect for a couple of people who haven't had much sleep."

"Well," I said, sinking back into the soft comfort of the sofa with my coffee and donut in hand, almost painfully aware of how close his body was to my own. "I can't argue with that."

His statement was supported by the yawn that took control of my lungs, slurring my words and curving my spine into a slight 'S' shape. As I regained my ability to breathe normally, Bobby's arm slid from it's position on the back of the sofa to wrap around my shoulders, dragging me flush to his side as he said, "Plus, I'm pretty sure you've converted me to the Ghostbusters way of life."

I smiled as my head settled against his should, pleased by how easy and natural it felt to lean against his side while we rested on the couch. I shifted my head a little on my new pillow and sighed contentedly. "If I start snoring," I warned, "You're not allowed to laugh."

I felt his chest rumble as he let out a small, relaxed laugh and hit play on the DVD. "Same goes for you," he returned.

The room filled with the familiar sounds of the movie I could probably quote word for word from beginning to end, we settled in with out Sunday treats to just vegetate. I nibbled my donut, savouring it a bit more than I had the last two, and let my mind wander to my impromptu adventure early this morning, the excitement of and anxiety of putting my skills to use in a different sort of way to normal, and the realisations it had lead to on the side of the road twenty minutes from home.

"Hey, Bobby," I said, breaking the comfortable quiet that had enveloped us. "I've been thinking."

"Yeah?"

I nodded, chewing my donut thoughtfully.

"What about?" he asked.

"I think I've done pretty well at denying my curiosity this far," I pointed out. "But I have to know." Twisting a little in his embrace so I could see the expression on his face when I asked. I'd been around him enough to know that what he was thinking would be displayed on is face for all to see, if only you knew where to look. And I was pretty sure I knew where to look. "What's so dire about a level six emergency that it requires all three of you to haul ass back to Rangeman at two in the morning?"

The subtle tension that crinkled the corners of his eyes when I turned to face him relaxed a little as he processed the question. He was worried I was going to bring something else up, what, I couldn't guess, but for whatever reason the topic of the level six emergency was easier to discuss. "It has to do with the government," he said.

"So, you can't tell me?" I asked. That explained the easing of his tension. I was all too aware of the nature of the work the guys did for the government and had long ago accepted that there were whole parts of their lives that they were not at liberty to discuss. It was just a fact of life. It created a little tension at times, but apparently it was an easier topic than whatever he thought I was about to ask about.

"Not the details," he clarified. "But I can explain the policies in place that necessitate the presence of the full core team when a government representative shows up in purpose."

I screwed up my nose and relaxed back into my previous position, searching for the perfect position for my head against his shoulder once more. "You could," I agreed. "If you really wanted me to start snoring."

"Curiosity satisfied?" he asked, wrapping one of my loose curls around his finger and tugging lightly.

"Do you need to ship out?" I found myself asking, an uneasy feeling filling my gut as I contemplated him being dropped in the middle of some hostile situation a million miles away with nothing but the clothes on his back and a pack full of supplies. I hadn't known Bobby to dragged away for government missions in the time we'd been friends, but it wasn't really something we talked about all that often, so I wasn't sure if he was still under contract and they just didn't have use for his particular skill set as often as they did Ranger's or if it wasn't a part of his life anymore. I was accustomed to Ranger disappearing at the drop of a hat, but Bobby? He was a constant in my life these days and I wasn't sure if I'd be as okay with him vanishing into the wind.

As if he could sense exactly where my thoughts had gone and how much anxiety it brought me, he tightened his arm around my shoulders. "I don't do that anymore," he assured me steadily. "I've been out of contract for six years. Mine was the first of the four us to end."

I let out a breath I hadn't realised I was holding and nodded, grateful for the information. "What about the others?" I asked.

"Everyone is staying exactly where they are for now," he said. "Don't you worry. The government just likes to check in every now and then, it's part and parcel the classified work we do for them within Rangeman."

I nodded again, even more relieved now that I had confirmation that all the guys had their feet firmly planted stateside for the time being. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Bobby lift the donut he'd been holding without eating (showing off his iron clad willpower) to his mouth and when the hand lowered again, it was empty. Shoving the rest of my own donut into my mouth, I reached out and nudged my coffee cup into his hand, silently requesting that he set it aside with his so that I didn't end up spilling it in my lap if I did end up drifting off. He understood without words, and within seconds we were once more focused on the movie we'd both seen more times than I could count.

Neither one of us moved for a long time. The steadiness movement of his chest rising and falling behind me as his breathing slowed, combined with the soothing effect of my favourite movie was lulling me into that sleepy half awake state and I let out another wide yawn as the night's interruption and my early rising began to weigh down on me. I was so close to being asleep that I could practically feel my ticket for the Dreamland Express in my hand when Bobby shifted, jolting me back into the land of the living. I turned my head to check that he was alright but before I had a chance to voice my concern his lips connected with mine.

Now I was definitely wide awake. My eyes went wide, meeting the shocked expression in Bobby's that I was sure mirrored my own.

A heartbeat passed.

And then another.

Each experienced in isolation, like separate events with no connection as we were frozen in place.

A loud commotion from the television speakers broke the quiet moment, and Bobby jerked away, removing both his head and his arm from my space as he turned from me. "S-sorry," he sputtered, dragging a hand over the back of his neck. "I-… we… I didn't … I was only going to kiss your hair, but then you moved and I-"

I didn't let him get any further with his fumbled apology. Shifting so that I was knelt on the cushion beside him, I decided it was time to take matters into my own hands. Literally. I reached out, placing my hands on either side of his face, urging him to return his sweet face to me. With the more convenient angle established, I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his. Deliberately this time.

My eyes were still open, allowing me to see the shock return to his gaze, but as I stroked my thumbs over his cheek, the expression cleared, melting into a warmth that shot straight to my pelvis. His hand slid off his own neck and wrapped around my back, pulling me closer as I deepened the kiss, my eyes drifting shut on moan.

It was several minutes later that Bobby eventually pulled back again, slowly this time, the hand that had been resting on my hip squeezing lightly as we both dragged in some much-needed oxygen. I dissolved into his chest, resting my forehead against his shoulder as I tried to get my breathing under control and was pleased to find, based on the way Bobby's chest was moving under my hands, that he seemed to be in just as much a state as I was. His hands idling trailed along my arms or gently rubbed my back, preventing me from fully returning to that clear, cognitive place of being able to focus on things other than his body under mine.

When our breathing had returned to a more acceptable rate, I turned my head so that I could see his face, immediately regretting the decision to do so. The tension around his eyes was back and there was twitch by his mouth that told me he was either doing complex math in his head, or he was thinking about something that he wasn't sure he wanted to say out loud. His gaze cut to me for a millisecond and he let out a resigned sigh, wrapping his arms around me to hold me in place.

"Steph," he said slowly.

"Bobby?" I returned, channelling as much of my concern and curiosity into his name as I could.

"I think we need to have a conversation," he said. He glanced down at me again, his grip loosening, allowing me to lean back away from him, taking in his expression more fully. It did nothing to help the anxious butterflies that had taken wing in my stomach. I was pretty sure I was about sixty seconds from needing to throw up.

I gulped. "What about?"

His eyes searched mine for several agonising moments before he uttered a single word that both thrilled and terrified me: "Us."

So, now would be a bad time to mention that I have a bunch of assignments that need my attention and I might not be able to find the time write for a few days... right?