Somewhere over the Atlantic
Enroute to Moscow
Several hours later
Time accelerated as they flew east, so it wasn't long before the
sky outside the airplane windows turned the warm orange of sunset
before fading to the midnight blue of dusk. As it did, the sleepless
night before began to catch up with Mac. Harm caught her yawning as he
shifted in his seat for the millionth time, trying to get comfortable.
"Tired, Marine?" he asked, grinning, as she tried to stretch a bit,
even in the confined space.
She gave him a sleepy smile. "A bit. Spent last night packing, ya
know. How 'bout you?"
He sighed, shifting again. "Just trying to get comfortable," he
said, trying to copy her stretch and attempting to stand a bit.
"Harm--"
*Clunk*. The back of Harm's head connected with the bulkhead
above. Craning his neck, he shot the offending object an affronted
glare before dropping back into his seat with a sigh.
And looked over to see Mac giving him the combination
amused/frustrated/sympathetic look she usually saved for a misbehaving
AJ Roberts. "Sorry, Mac," he said sheepishly.
It was the look on his face, reminiscent of a little boy caught
with his hand in the cookie jar, that did it. "C'mon, flyboy," she
said, pushing the armrest between the seats back, "let's see if we can
get you comfortable enough to stop fidgeting."
He looked even guiltier, if that was possible, and she couldn't help
but laugh. "It's all right, Harm," she said, standing and retrieving
two pillows and a blanket from the overhead compartment, "I know they
don't exactly make these things for normal people. Even I'm a bit
cramped."
He took the pillows and blanket as she sat back down. "So I'm
guessing you have a solution in mind?"
"Maybe," she said, reaching for the pillows. "That is, if you don't
mind," she added hesitantly.
He smiled at her, a true, genuine smile with only a hint of the
typical flyboy cockiness present. "Whatever you've got planned, it's
got to be better than this," he joked.
"Well, okay." With that, she reached across him, stuffing the two
pillows around the armrest and against the wall, then curled her knees
under her and moved over to give him as much room as possible. "If you
lean against the wall and swing your legs over here, you can stretch
out a bit more," she suggested.
"But Mac, you can't stay like that the whole way."
"I'll be fine," she insisted.
"You're sure?"
"Positive."
He positioned himself as suggested, back to the window and legs
stretched out to the aisle. He had to admit, it was a lot more
comfortable. Then he looked at Mac.
She was trying to curl into a ball and sleep against the far side
of her seat, her legs still folded underneath her. "Mac," he said
quietly, "That can't be comfortable."
"Harm, I'll be fine," she insisted.
"Yeah, but I won't. I'll feel like a total jerk for the rest of
the trip. C'mon, stand up a minute," he directed.
Too tired to argue, she did so, and he swung one leg up on to the
seat. "Now come here," he ordered gently, pulling her down rest between
his legs, her back against his chest. "Better?"
Mac tried her hardest not to blush. "Yes," she admitted.
"Good. Now you're comfortable, and I'm comfortable, so why don't
we try to get some sleep," he suggested. "I have a feeling you got
about as much sleep as I did last night."
She was already relaxing against him. "I didn't get any sleep,"
she mumbled, as he settled the blanket around them both.
"That's what I thought," he replied, his voice barely above a
whisper, as he carefully slid an arm around her waist.
" 'Night, Harm."
"Sleep well, Sarah."
*****************************
Alley in Yekaterinburg, Russia
Same Day
Mercedes struggled wildly against the arms that held her, her only
focus on getting away. As she felt the hand over her mouth flex and
begin to tighten, she opened her mouth and bit down, hard. A sharp
curse accompanied its departure.
"Dammit, Mercedes, STOP!" a voice hissed in her ear.
She stopped cold. No way. She did not recognize that voice, did not
just chomp down on its owner's hand--
"Clayton Webb?!?" She gasped, turning around. "What the hell are
you doing here?" she whispered furiously.
"I could ask you that same damn question," he hissed back, holding
his injured hand. "You bit me!"
"I thought you were one of the bad guys! What the hell was I
supposed to do?!?"
"Not that! Besides, I've been trying to catch you for three
blocks!"
"You were the one tailing me?" she asked in surprise.
"No, it was Boris Yeltsin," he snapped sarcastically.
Mercedes began to see red. "Well, excuse me, Herr Webb! I had a few
things on my mind, after running from some assassin who killed Georgi,
tried to kill me, and take the remains, before climbing down a rusted-
out fire escape that decided to collapse before I got off it!!!" she
hissed back.
Webb just stared at her. "Wait. Someone tried to kill you and
steal the remains?"
"Yes, that's what I just told you," she said with forced patience.
"Oh shit."
"Eloquently put."
Webb grabbed her by the arm and began dragging her toward the alley
exit. "Come on. They'll be hunting for you, and they're not going to
stop. That and we need to go get those remains."
Mercedes dug in her heels. "Wait just a verdammte minute. Who's
hunting for me? Why? And we don't need to go back for the remains, I've
got them."
Webb stopped. "You've got them?"
She just looked at him. "You don't really think I'd leave him
behind?" she said softly. "I think that's already been done enough."
He nodded. He'd underestimated Mercedes Rabb a bit, although he
didn't know why. Not anymore. "Look, Mercedes," he said, quietly but
urgently, "there are going to be a lot of people after you, and after
those remains. Which means that as of right now, my main concern is
to get them and you the hell out of Russia. I'm going to need you to
trust me, at least for now."
She nodded. "Fair enough," she replied, and together they moved to
the entrance to the alley. "So what do we do n---"
Suddenly, her eyes went wide. Webb turned to look what she saw,
but never got a chance. Mercedes grabbed the front of his coat and
pulled him back against her and the wall behind her, hissing, "play
along", before abruptly bringing his lips to hers in a passionate kiss.
TBC....
Enroute to Moscow
Several hours later
Time accelerated as they flew east, so it wasn't long before the
sky outside the airplane windows turned the warm orange of sunset
before fading to the midnight blue of dusk. As it did, the sleepless
night before began to catch up with Mac. Harm caught her yawning as he
shifted in his seat for the millionth time, trying to get comfortable.
"Tired, Marine?" he asked, grinning, as she tried to stretch a bit,
even in the confined space.
She gave him a sleepy smile. "A bit. Spent last night packing, ya
know. How 'bout you?"
He sighed, shifting again. "Just trying to get comfortable," he
said, trying to copy her stretch and attempting to stand a bit.
"Harm--"
*Clunk*. The back of Harm's head connected with the bulkhead
above. Craning his neck, he shot the offending object an affronted
glare before dropping back into his seat with a sigh.
And looked over to see Mac giving him the combination
amused/frustrated/sympathetic look she usually saved for a misbehaving
AJ Roberts. "Sorry, Mac," he said sheepishly.
It was the look on his face, reminiscent of a little boy caught
with his hand in the cookie jar, that did it. "C'mon, flyboy," she
said, pushing the armrest between the seats back, "let's see if we can
get you comfortable enough to stop fidgeting."
He looked even guiltier, if that was possible, and she couldn't help
but laugh. "It's all right, Harm," she said, standing and retrieving
two pillows and a blanket from the overhead compartment, "I know they
don't exactly make these things for normal people. Even I'm a bit
cramped."
He took the pillows and blanket as she sat back down. "So I'm
guessing you have a solution in mind?"
"Maybe," she said, reaching for the pillows. "That is, if you don't
mind," she added hesitantly.
He smiled at her, a true, genuine smile with only a hint of the
typical flyboy cockiness present. "Whatever you've got planned, it's
got to be better than this," he joked.
"Well, okay." With that, she reached across him, stuffing the two
pillows around the armrest and against the wall, then curled her knees
under her and moved over to give him as much room as possible. "If you
lean against the wall and swing your legs over here, you can stretch
out a bit more," she suggested.
"But Mac, you can't stay like that the whole way."
"I'll be fine," she insisted.
"You're sure?"
"Positive."
He positioned himself as suggested, back to the window and legs
stretched out to the aisle. He had to admit, it was a lot more
comfortable. Then he looked at Mac.
She was trying to curl into a ball and sleep against the far side
of her seat, her legs still folded underneath her. "Mac," he said
quietly, "That can't be comfortable."
"Harm, I'll be fine," she insisted.
"Yeah, but I won't. I'll feel like a total jerk for the rest of
the trip. C'mon, stand up a minute," he directed.
Too tired to argue, she did so, and he swung one leg up on to the
seat. "Now come here," he ordered gently, pulling her down rest between
his legs, her back against his chest. "Better?"
Mac tried her hardest not to blush. "Yes," she admitted.
"Good. Now you're comfortable, and I'm comfortable, so why don't
we try to get some sleep," he suggested. "I have a feeling you got
about as much sleep as I did last night."
She was already relaxing against him. "I didn't get any sleep,"
she mumbled, as he settled the blanket around them both.
"That's what I thought," he replied, his voice barely above a
whisper, as he carefully slid an arm around her waist.
" 'Night, Harm."
"Sleep well, Sarah."
*****************************
Alley in Yekaterinburg, Russia
Same Day
Mercedes struggled wildly against the arms that held her, her only
focus on getting away. As she felt the hand over her mouth flex and
begin to tighten, she opened her mouth and bit down, hard. A sharp
curse accompanied its departure.
"Dammit, Mercedes, STOP!" a voice hissed in her ear.
She stopped cold. No way. She did not recognize that voice, did not
just chomp down on its owner's hand--
"Clayton Webb?!?" She gasped, turning around. "What the hell are
you doing here?" she whispered furiously.
"I could ask you that same damn question," he hissed back, holding
his injured hand. "You bit me!"
"I thought you were one of the bad guys! What the hell was I
supposed to do?!?"
"Not that! Besides, I've been trying to catch you for three
blocks!"
"You were the one tailing me?" she asked in surprise.
"No, it was Boris Yeltsin," he snapped sarcastically.
Mercedes began to see red. "Well, excuse me, Herr Webb! I had a few
things on my mind, after running from some assassin who killed Georgi,
tried to kill me, and take the remains, before climbing down a rusted-
out fire escape that decided to collapse before I got off it!!!" she
hissed back.
Webb just stared at her. "Wait. Someone tried to kill you and
steal the remains?"
"Yes, that's what I just told you," she said with forced patience.
"Oh shit."
"Eloquently put."
Webb grabbed her by the arm and began dragging her toward the alley
exit. "Come on. They'll be hunting for you, and they're not going to
stop. That and we need to go get those remains."
Mercedes dug in her heels. "Wait just a verdammte minute. Who's
hunting for me? Why? And we don't need to go back for the remains, I've
got them."
Webb stopped. "You've got them?"
She just looked at him. "You don't really think I'd leave him
behind?" she said softly. "I think that's already been done enough."
He nodded. He'd underestimated Mercedes Rabb a bit, although he
didn't know why. Not anymore. "Look, Mercedes," he said, quietly but
urgently, "there are going to be a lot of people after you, and after
those remains. Which means that as of right now, my main concern is
to get them and you the hell out of Russia. I'm going to need you to
trust me, at least for now."
She nodded. "Fair enough," she replied, and together they moved to
the entrance to the alley. "So what do we do n---"
Suddenly, her eyes went wide. Webb turned to look what she saw,
but never got a chance. Mercedes grabbed the front of his coat and
pulled him back against her and the wall behind her, hissing, "play
along", before abruptly bringing his lips to hers in a passionate kiss.
TBC....