"Nine gold rings" Ch01 – First night"
A little Season One "what if", exploring some plausible (if not-publicly-canon) moves on the "pairings" front in mid-season, spring of 1996. No links at all to any of my other stories as at August 2021.
A/N: "they aren't mine, I'm just playing with them - apart from any character created by myself". See Ch 01 for disclaimers.
Summary: this is a fictional story, in a fictional (slightly) Alternative Universe, about fictional characters who entertained us in a fictional TV series between 1995 and 2005. Comments and PMs and suggestions are most welcome. Mike
Canon: Canon episode: "Defensive action" S1ep13 first broadcast on 13MAR1996 (two weeks before HEMLOCK S1ep15 27Mar1996).
A/N: 05-Aug-2021. Thanks for following me back 25 years, into the depths of Season One. Small kudos prize if you can guess the rationale behind the title (small clue in the story avatar). Mike
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Wednesday 13th March 1996, 17:55hrs CET
The "O" Club, joint base Naples, Italy.
She homed in on his location. The cloud of cigar smoke helped as a locator beacon.
He looked relaxed, following the court case and the rescue of "Mace" (Lt Mason Painter) from Serbian territory after the RIO had spent an impromptu night under the stars in a marsh. He had enjoyed knowing that the proof of the Hind helicopter crew's guilt - in the form of cannon shell holes in the recovered parachute canopy - had been nice to wave at the legal weenie.
"The duties of a USN officer are many and varied" she mused, planting her neatly-polished summer white courts in his field of view. A knowing grin announced that he was aware of her presence and he raised an inquisitive eyebrow as he chewed on his cigar again, inviting her to speak. She took up the invitation.
"Mind if I join you?"
"Not at all: do please be seated. I would welcome the company. When the day is done and battle ceases, it is good to remind ourselves of the fact that we are humans. May I offer you a drink, ma'am?" he enquired, raising his beer glass to attract the orderly's attention. His eyes, instinctively, took in the slender calves as she settled into the arm chair. He had long been a proponent of the male" good guy" behavioural principle of "look but do not touch unless and until invited". This lady had fine legs and he had observed what his mom had long-ago described as "child-bearing hips" as she moved gracefully through the court earlier that day.
He was, truth be told, delighted to spend some time, however platonic, with this confident and self-assured woman. Her performance in the courtroom during the case over the past few days had been competent, determined and, frankly, impressive.
She considered the options for her drink before replying.
"Thank you, kind sir. As we are in Italy, I reckon a glass of Chianti would be just dandy."
He placed the drinks order and picked up his cigar once more. She leaned in to savour the aroma. It brought back happy memories of her father and his traditional "post-deployment" cigar in the garden. She closed her eyes briefly at the memory, then returned to the present.
He was watching her with amused interest. "Well, wherever you went off to just then, it looked like a nice place."
She nodded. "Indeed it was, all the way back to happy childhood memories. My Pa used to light a cigar when he returned from a deployment. That's what got me into smoking - along, obviously, with getting me into the Navy. I really ought to give up."
He looked at her with renewed interest." You know, I can see your point. I always thought that I would stop smoking when kids came along. They say you need to be fit to survive children."
She chuckled - an honest, throaty purr. "Indeed they do." She looked at his physique with renewed interest. He had been hauling jet fighters around the sky for some years now and he looked pretty fit. She pursed her lips calculating the odds. He was obviously older than her (she had reviewed his service jacket at one point in preparing the case) but not by so much. She knew the kind of man she would want as the father of her children. Unexpectedly, in the middle of Italy of all places, this guy was busy ticking her boxes.
Wow! Where did *that* thought come from?
She moved slightly in her comfortable armchair, surreptitiously parting her thighs slightly to relieve the sudden pressure deep within her. The damned USN summer whites skirt constricted her thighs slightly (especially with the tighter slip which she had worn today after an error loading her suitcase back in DC) but she achieved her goal then smiled at him. He gave no indication of having noticed her little hip-wiggle, as he focussed on re-shaping the burning tip of his cigar.
She continued the conversation. "Of course, two fit and healthy parents are the ideal, for bringing up healthy children. Better if the kids don't see any bad habits on display from mommy and daddy."
He nodded. "Agreed. We are so responsible for how we launch our kids on the world."
He looked at her askance, waiting as she formed her next question for him.
"Sounds like you have given this some thought?"
He nodded, then signed the chit for the drinks and sat back as the orderly placed the glasses. She picked up her wine glass, saluted him then took her first sip. His eyes were drawn to her lips, which sported a deeper shade of red than she had been wearing in court for the hearings. It complemented her fine hair.
"And you; would mommy provide a good role-model for her children?"
"Yes, kids need a strong moral compass" she agreed. "I always believed that two parents are best, if they can stay together for their kids' upbringing."
He looked at her with renewed interest. "Forgive me for being forward, but surely you do not feel any pressure on the 'raising a family' front, unless you were - at one point - a very young mom?"
He paused, before *very* quickly continuing with "assuming a 'green light' here for me to discuss, i would say that you are in your prime."
She threw her head back and laughed deeply. "Bless you - and quit while you are ahead and enjoying the green light, Flyboy! Yes, I am talking futures and I also guess that you are?"
"Yes ma'am." Smiling, he mock-saluted his brow with one finger, then returned to his beer.
She sipped her wine again, weighing up the considerations. They might never meet up again, the case was done and he would probably be flying off to a carrier in the next 36 hours anyway.
She leaned in, speaking quietly. "I've been reminded, twice, of my own mortality in the past year."
He nodded politely, awaiting her next move. She looked into his eyes: he seemed trustworthy but...
"Ah, fuck it!" She reached her decision and continued, opening a small corner of her heart to this good-looking and understanding pilot.
"I've been shot at, on a case, then my OB-GYN found a lump on a routine check-up last year and I had a benign polyp removed. So my window of opportunity for child-rearing might not be as wide as I had thought, when I began road-testing men in my late teenage years."
He nodded, considering her words. He had been fortunate in seeking female companionship and finding pleasure wherever and whenever he had felt the urge to scratch the itch.
The truism about "Dress Whites and Gold Wings" had served him well, especially as he had grown more confident and experienced.
Some encounters stood out, including that youthful, sweaty but satisfying night under the stars in that tiny village in Vietnam. But that was then and this was now - he was facing a fully-grown intelligent woman who, as a JAG officer, was probably acknowledged as a barracuda in the courtroom. But what would she be like in bed, staring into his eyes as they tumbled over the edge together in perfect harmony? He suddenly realised that - despite the manner in which they had met - he wanted to find out how she came apart at the moment of her climax.
He looked across the rim of his beer glass and reached a conclusion.
"Here's a proposition: let's plan to continue this over dinner. If you agree, of course?"
She thought for a moment, then smiled demurely and nodded - clearly understanding and liking the line of his thoughts.
"Lead on, kind sir."
She collected her briefcase and cover in one hand, popped her shoulder bag over the other shoulder and lifted her wine glass, drained it in one swig then looked deep into his eyes.
"Off we go. Let me know where you will be taking me."
"Oh God - anywhere you'll let me take you!"
He pretended to ignore the double meaning as he replied politely.
"Thank you, ma'am."
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Over dinner, they bonded in a way that he had considered implausible just a few hours previously in court. He chuckled to himself at the irony. Two (admittedly lonely) kindred spirits in a foreign land after opposing each other in court that day. Matters took their natural course during the evening and they ended up strolling, arm-in-arm, back to the little hotel across the road, where she had been billeted for the trial. She turned to face him.
"OK, this is me but I really don't want to say goodnight, assuming that you would also like to continue the evening?"
"Me neither." He nodded, leaning in with her consent to kiss her for the first time.
Pausing to draw breath, she kissed him with renewed passion then she breathed one simple phrase.
"Come on up, Flyboy."
He didn't need to be invited twice!
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Thursday 14th March 1996, 06:48hrs CET
Napoli.
She watched him, admiring his aviator physique from afar, as he walked across the room to the en-suite bathroom then afterwards, strolled to the coffee machine to set up two mugs. He called back across the bedroom. "Milk in your morning coffee, my lady?"
A muttered "just black please, kind sir" drifted back.
She lay for a moment on the cosy cusp between sleep and full wakefulness, then realised that - like her lover of the previous night - her bladder was sending her brain signals which could no longer be ignored.
She realised that she was actually slightly sore - an unusual occurrence for her. Clearly, he had given her a serious workout through the previous night (she had also, in turn, taken him to the edge of space several times before bringing him in for a smooth landing around 0100hrz) and she knew that their unplanned coupling had been mutually pleasurable.
He handed her a cup of coffee then settled on the bed as she scooted across to make room for his butt. They both spoke together.
"So where next?..." "I wonder if you..."
He gestured to her to proceed. "Ladies first."
"OK : this has been wonderful and - if we are going to treat this as just one wonderful night - then fair enough and thank you."
He remained silent, one eyebrow raised above a warm smile, so she continued.
"But, for the first time in a while I find myself wanting more."
He drained his coffee mug and placed it on the side table before returning to his previous position, then leaned in to kiss her.
"I feel the same Alison. I think that I would like more. When are you due to head off back to DC?"
She nodded, running a hand through her hair.
"The day after tomorrow, unless Teddy Lindsey changes his mind. So, Tom, when does the Seahawk need her CAG back?" She reached across the bed, smiling warmly.
"Because I have an idea."
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A/N: End of first chapter - would anyone like more?
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End of "Nine gold rings" Ch01 – First night"
Mike, United Kingdom, 05-08-2021