The plane was started and waiting on the arrival of the limo and it's occupants. Both pairs of pilots had boarded the second plane according to instructions. Strangely, the airstrip was left unguarded. Litha and Darrin were the first out of the limo and kept a watch as Frank, Alex and Jake boarded. Then they too backed up quickly and got on the plane.
Within minutes they were tearing down the runway and lifting off. Litha slumped into her chair with a soft sigh. Darrin was putting his gear away. Other than the engines, there was dead silence between the four of them.
"Why didn't you tell me."
"Tell you what, Frank? That I ran with Black Ops? Would it have made you feel better about me? Frank Donovan, from time to time I run Black Ops training sessions. Adam felt it would be good training for me and that is that." She was tired and anxious to get home. That showed in her voice. Since the whole shoot out began she'd been irritable and nasty to everyone.
Frank was silent as he stared at her. She could feel his eyes boring into her. He didn't deserve that from her and she knew it. With a sigh, she stood up and hosltered her guns, then offered her hand to Frank.
He looked at it for a moment, then took it and stood up. She led him to the back of the plane and kicked Darrin out, closing the curtain behind her. "I promised you answers to any and all questions you wanted."
"Yes you did. But I want an apology first. You've been nothing but evil since this started."
"I know. And I'm sorry." She sat down in a seat and continued to talk. "This IS the reason I don't run in Black. Number one, I have a child. Number two, I'm not mentally cut out for the job. I can't mentally handle the rigors of what the Black Ops personnel go through on a day to day basis. Yes, I run in some of the training sessions out at the Academy. Adam thought it'd be good for me to do that. But I've discovered something about myself. I LIKE being a mother. I like being able to go home at the end of the day and kiss my Lina good night."
Frank knelt down as she was speaking. He put his hands on her knees and listened. When she mentioned 'Lina' his forehead wrinkled. "Lina?"
"Angelina. I call her Lina. And another thing, I like teaching the students at the Academy." She smiled wryly and looked out of the window for a moment at the clouds passing by. "I never wanted to come on this mission Frank. Not because of you or Alex or Montcalvez. But because I liked what I was doing and I was safe there. Frank," she put her hands on his and looked down at him.
Her eyes were full of tears as he looked up at her. "What Lovely?"
She smiled. 'Lovely' was his pet name for her. He hadn't called her 'Lovely' since a month before she left. "I should have told you before. You should have been there when she was born, when she came home from the hospital and when she got her first tooth. It wasn't fair or right of me to deny you the joys that I've had in being a mother."
--
Jake and Alex were on the other side of the curtain listening. 'Mother' Alex mouthed to Jake. He blinked in confusion back. Nothing had been said before about Litha having children. When it was mentioned that Frank should have been there, BOTH of their eyebrows shot clear up to their hairilnes. Darrin chuckled and motioned them closer to where he was.
"Yes, Litha is a mother. She has a 9 month old baby girl, and Frank is the father. He just found out himself a few days ago while they were on the way down to Sao Paolo. Her name is Angelina Sinclair-Donovan and is right now with her grandmother in Michigan while Litha is on this mission."
"Frank's got a kid?"
"Yes Jake, Frank has a little girl. And unless something went horribly wrong, she's now at the nest with Cody and Monica per Frank's instructions. You'll get to meet her when we arrive."
Both of them sat back. This was turning out to be an interesting day...
--
Frank smiled up at Litha, then raised up and kissed her forehead. "I can't tell you that I forgive you for that. Because I can't. I'm upset that you didn't tell me or want me to be a part of it all. But I know you had your reasons, just like you had reasons for not telling me about the second IAD investigation. Litha, I want to be a part of both of your lives from here out - understand me?"
Litha nodded silently that she did. Frank sat down on the seat next to her, wrapping his arms around her. He had a little girl... "What does she look like?"
"Like you, only more girly. She's got your mouth and your stare. She's your daughter over and over, right down to that look you get when you're trying to figure something out. She's a thinker, our Angelina. Just like you, she puckers up her mouth when she's taking something apart with her eyes. Just last week, before I left, she was trying to figure out how to work a musical book. Reminded me of you on a negotiation..."
"Your hair and eyes?"
"Mmm hmm. Grass green eyes and pitch black hair. She's got your long fingers though, and I think she'll wind up being tall. Well, taller than me at least." Litha giggled for a moment, snuggling up against his chest. For some reason she was feeling sleepy.
"What's the giggle for Lovely?"
"She's got my lungs for screaming."
--
Darrin chuckled at Alex and Jake. They'd resumed their post at the curtain, eavesdropping on Frank and Litha. As Litha described the little girl, they both grinned. This was definitely going to be interesting. A baby that looked like a mishmash of Litha and Frank with Frank's intent stare and Litha's temper. That has got to be one fiesty little kid! They both tried to picture what this kid looked like as Darrin took care of business.
Next to Darrin sat the satellite phone. As per orders, he picked up the receiver and dialed Adam Wallace to let him know that they all were on the way back. After a moment of his silence while he listened, Jake and Alex were staring at him. Darrin turned his head slowly and looked past them to the curtain... "Sweet Jesus."
****
Within minutes they were tearing down the runway and lifting off. Litha slumped into her chair with a soft sigh. Darrin was putting his gear away. Other than the engines, there was dead silence between the four of them.
"Why didn't you tell me."
"Tell you what, Frank? That I ran with Black Ops? Would it have made you feel better about me? Frank Donovan, from time to time I run Black Ops training sessions. Adam felt it would be good training for me and that is that." She was tired and anxious to get home. That showed in her voice. Since the whole shoot out began she'd been irritable and nasty to everyone.
Frank was silent as he stared at her. She could feel his eyes boring into her. He didn't deserve that from her and she knew it. With a sigh, she stood up and hosltered her guns, then offered her hand to Frank.
He looked at it for a moment, then took it and stood up. She led him to the back of the plane and kicked Darrin out, closing the curtain behind her. "I promised you answers to any and all questions you wanted."
"Yes you did. But I want an apology first. You've been nothing but evil since this started."
"I know. And I'm sorry." She sat down in a seat and continued to talk. "This IS the reason I don't run in Black. Number one, I have a child. Number two, I'm not mentally cut out for the job. I can't mentally handle the rigors of what the Black Ops personnel go through on a day to day basis. Yes, I run in some of the training sessions out at the Academy. Adam thought it'd be good for me to do that. But I've discovered something about myself. I LIKE being a mother. I like being able to go home at the end of the day and kiss my Lina good night."
Frank knelt down as she was speaking. He put his hands on her knees and listened. When she mentioned 'Lina' his forehead wrinkled. "Lina?"
"Angelina. I call her Lina. And another thing, I like teaching the students at the Academy." She smiled wryly and looked out of the window for a moment at the clouds passing by. "I never wanted to come on this mission Frank. Not because of you or Alex or Montcalvez. But because I liked what I was doing and I was safe there. Frank," she put her hands on his and looked down at him.
Her eyes were full of tears as he looked up at her. "What Lovely?"
She smiled. 'Lovely' was his pet name for her. He hadn't called her 'Lovely' since a month before she left. "I should have told you before. You should have been there when she was born, when she came home from the hospital and when she got her first tooth. It wasn't fair or right of me to deny you the joys that I've had in being a mother."
--
Jake and Alex were on the other side of the curtain listening. 'Mother' Alex mouthed to Jake. He blinked in confusion back. Nothing had been said before about Litha having children. When it was mentioned that Frank should have been there, BOTH of their eyebrows shot clear up to their hairilnes. Darrin chuckled and motioned them closer to where he was.
"Yes, Litha is a mother. She has a 9 month old baby girl, and Frank is the father. He just found out himself a few days ago while they were on the way down to Sao Paolo. Her name is Angelina Sinclair-Donovan and is right now with her grandmother in Michigan while Litha is on this mission."
"Frank's got a kid?"
"Yes Jake, Frank has a little girl. And unless something went horribly wrong, she's now at the nest with Cody and Monica per Frank's instructions. You'll get to meet her when we arrive."
Both of them sat back. This was turning out to be an interesting day...
--
Frank smiled up at Litha, then raised up and kissed her forehead. "I can't tell you that I forgive you for that. Because I can't. I'm upset that you didn't tell me or want me to be a part of it all. But I know you had your reasons, just like you had reasons for not telling me about the second IAD investigation. Litha, I want to be a part of both of your lives from here out - understand me?"
Litha nodded silently that she did. Frank sat down on the seat next to her, wrapping his arms around her. He had a little girl... "What does she look like?"
"Like you, only more girly. She's got your mouth and your stare. She's your daughter over and over, right down to that look you get when you're trying to figure something out. She's a thinker, our Angelina. Just like you, she puckers up her mouth when she's taking something apart with her eyes. Just last week, before I left, she was trying to figure out how to work a musical book. Reminded me of you on a negotiation..."
"Your hair and eyes?"
"Mmm hmm. Grass green eyes and pitch black hair. She's got your long fingers though, and I think she'll wind up being tall. Well, taller than me at least." Litha giggled for a moment, snuggling up against his chest. For some reason she was feeling sleepy.
"What's the giggle for Lovely?"
"She's got my lungs for screaming."
--
Darrin chuckled at Alex and Jake. They'd resumed their post at the curtain, eavesdropping on Frank and Litha. As Litha described the little girl, they both grinned. This was definitely going to be interesting. A baby that looked like a mishmash of Litha and Frank with Frank's intent stare and Litha's temper. That has got to be one fiesty little kid! They both tried to picture what this kid looked like as Darrin took care of business.
Next to Darrin sat the satellite phone. As per orders, he picked up the receiver and dialed Adam Wallace to let him know that they all were on the way back. After a moment of his silence while he listened, Jake and Alex were staring at him. Darrin turned his head slowly and looked past them to the curtain... "Sweet Jesus."
****