Title: Journey to Homecoming Pt.15/?
Author: Sheila
Category: Romance
Pairing: Clay/Sarah
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: As If
Spoilers: Up through 'Need to Know'
Summary: Clay and Sarah come together during an investigation
A/N: Sorry for the delay. Real Life and All That Jazz
Clay's POV
Talking about buying a home made the engagement very real. I wanted to get Sarah the home of her dreams, and she had obviously planning this for a long time. She said it was a girl thing, like a man never planned on the 2.5 kids and the picket fence. She knew me pretty well; I had never allowed my self to think about it, there seemed no hope for it ever happening. Now my buried dreams were going to come true and it made me breathless.
"What else do you want in this house?" I added jokingly, she had quite a list going already.
"You." That's all she said, you. I couldn't say anything; to say I was stunned was an understatement. I realized that her request meant that I was her home; she would live with me anywhere, and the hell with her career.
"Thank you, you are all that I need too." I leaned down to kiss her and she met me halfway. The gentle touch of lips was an affirmation of our commitment to each other, more than our words could ever say. Kissing Sarah was getting to be an addiction that I never wanted to cure. The only sounds that could be heard in the room were our sighs until my resident timekeeper voiced the hour.
"We have to pack you know," she said around my kisses.
"Luckily it's only clothes. Ramon and Jim are going to ship the gear back on Military transport; it'll save time with customs and airport security. Are you ready for a short flight on Air Rabb?" She really hated flying, and flying with Rabb was always an adventure.
"Did you have to remind me? I've gone a few hours not worrying about flying with him."
"I'll hold your hand, and anything else you want." I smirked and she popped me on the butt.
"Hey stop the hitting. I was just volunteering my services and that's the thanks I receive," I said in my most aggrieved tone.
"Stop pouting about a love tap. Let me up so we can get going." I rolled off her and helped her up. Packing took much longer than necessary because we stopped every few minutes to touch or kiss. I noticed the lemon toiletries go into the bag. I made a note to order a supply; lemon was now my favorite scent right after the special scent that was all Sarah.
For once everyone met in our suite. We had finally leaned that we didn't need to make a public spectacle of ourselves. Congratulations and words of advice were given once again. It was amazing; I had gone from a small family to this large extended one in a matter of days. It was overwhelming to someone who had led a relatively solitary life, but the presence of my Marine grounded me.
The flight from Sulawesi to Jakarta was uneventful, but my hand may never be the same. Ramon related the 'Flying with the Marine' rules and I should have heeded them. Our fist leg was on JAL to Honolulu. We were still on the CIA's dime so we were booked first class all the way to DC. The bill for this trip would be astronomical, and hopefully it wouldn't be coming out of my hide at a later date. There were only two other passengers flying in first class with us and I had arranged our seating so that we were well separated.
2000 Hours Local
Somewhere over the Pacific Ocean
After reaching flying altitude the flight crew began the meal service. Once the trays had been removed I stood and gathered pillows and blankets, moved the armrest from between the seats, and reclined the seatbacks. I gathered Sarah to my chest to snuggle and we talked about the wedding and home buying. In addition to the aforementioned porch and deluxe bathroom, we needed a large study. Both of us brought work home with us and needed an office area big enough for the two of us. We debated on four or five bedrooms. I finally won, with five. We had discussed having at least two children, and I secretly planned on more. Now that I had the opportunity for children I wanted as many as possible. Sarah would be a wonderful mother, you only had to look at her with AJ Roberts to know that. Our conversation gradually slowed until we both fell into a dreamless sleep. I woke when the attendants announced that we would be shortly landing in Honolulu and local time was seven a.m.
I placed a kiss on Sarah's brow and said, "Hey sleepyhead, time to wake up." She just shifted a little in my arms and snuffled. I decided to let her sleep a little more, enjoying the feel of her in my arms. Our landing was very smooth and she didn't stir. I shook her again when everyone else left the plane. "Come on wake up, we have to change planes."
"No," came her adamant reply.
I moved her into an upright position and kissed her. "The flight attendants want to go home, now you have to wake up." I stood and began getting our gear out of the overhead.
She stretched her arms and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "Do you know that I normally can't sleep on a plane? Whatever you are doing to me keep it up."
"I can't guarantee to keep it up all the time, but will do my best to have it up and available when you need it." She popped me on the butt again and gave me a wicked grin. Even if it was a love tap, she hit like a Marine. I was going to have to watch my mouth if I wanted to sit down on the remainder of the flight.
After forty-five minutes in customs we walked to the concourse and into the airline VIP suite. We had an hour layover to kill before we left for the mainland. Harm and Tracy were sitting on a sofa drinking coffee and talking when we walked in.
"So, Mac you decided to join the land of the living. Haven't you been getting enough sleep lately?" Harm teased.
"There is sleep and then there is sleep. You decide." She threw over her shoulder as she poured us coffee a picked up some Danish.
"Harm, don't mess around with her, she is in a hitting mood." I told him. Sarah returned with the refreshments and sat next to me, curling her legs under her. I noticed that AJ and Meredith were on opposite sides of the room seemingly trying to ignore each other.
I spoke softly to Harm, "What is going on with those two? Did they have an argument on the plane?" Sarah was also looking at them with a quizzical look on her face.
"Oh Lord, you two missed it. I can't talk about it now, but put it this way, someone wanted to join the mile high club and was firmly rebuffed." Harm murmured. I looked at Sarah and recalled my comments earlier in the day. I'm glad that we decided against trying ourselves.
"They, um, had a doozy of an argument. Meredith moved to an empty row of seats half way through the flight. They've hardly spoken a word to each other since," Tracy added.
Sarah and I looked at each other and sighed. This was not good, we still had a ten-hour journey ahead of us and I didn't want to spend it in an emotional war zone. Just then AJ walked over to us.
"Webb, may I talk with you?" He asked, but it came out like an order.
"Sure AJ, let's go outside and walk." We left the suite and moved down the concourse.
"I'm going to arrange to take another flight. As you saw Meredith and I are at an impasse right now, and I think it would be best if we were as far from each other as possible. Our meeting with the brass and the CIA hierarchy is at 0900 Monday at the Pentagon. I want everyone to go together to present a united front. If you would will bring my luggage with you I would appreciate it."
"AJ, I'm sorry to hear that. I'll have your luggage delivered to your home and we'll meet you at JAG HQ. Is there anything else we can do for you?"
He gave me a sad smile. "Webb, take care of the Marine. That's going to be a full time job for you, don't worry about me."
"AJ, I don't think you need me to worry about you, but I am concerned about you my friend." I know he heard the sincerity in my voice.
"Thanks Clay. It's good to know you are a friend, and your concern is duly noted. I just need time to think right now. I'll talk with you on Monday."
He turned and walked down the concourse, a solitary figure, in the crowded throng of travelers. I shook my head sadly and returned to the VIP suite and sat next to Sarah. She raised an eyebrow, as if to ask what was going on.
"AJ is taking another flight back. He'll meet with us at JAG HQ on Monday morning."
Sarah looked over to Meredith and turned to us, "I'll go talk with Meredith, she seems to be quite upset."
"She and AJ both. I've never seen him look like that; he looked defeated. That must have been one hell of an argument."
"Meredith is a bit of a free spirit, not exactly the type I think the Admiral usually is attracted to. Not that I think he is a stick in the mud, but I've had experience with her and she is unusual to say the least." Harm answered.
Sarah and Meredith were talking softly across the room. Meredith looked more angry than tearful from my perspective. As Harm, Tracy and I continued to talk, I kept stealing glances of the two of them. The words were getting louder and Sarah seemed to be trying to calm Meredith. Suddenly Meredith stood up and practically screamed.
"The man does not know how to live. I cannot be with someone that does not recognize that I have to live my life to the fullest. He doesn't take risks, he's, he's too sedate for me!"
Sarah stood and placed a hand on Meredith's arm and spoke too quietly for me to make out. Apparently it wasn't what Meredith wanted to hear and she turned abruptly and swept out of the room. Sarah watched the closed door for a few moments and walked over to us.
She sat down, moved into my embrace and placed her head on my shoulder. "Well that went well. I thought she might be upset about his leaving. She's upset all right, but because he wouldn't fulfill her wishes. She called him a fuddy duddy, and several other derogatory names. The Admiral doesn't like to take risks? I don't think we know the same man."
Tracy observed, "I would call the Admiral reserved, especially, in front of his staff. But I would think that he would be more relaxed with his girlfriend."
Harm snorted. "Her definition of stick in the mud is anyone that doesn't risk life and limb to 'live'. I think that every one of us risks his or her life every day in their job. When it comes to our personal life we want 'live' but want that 'living' to be peaceful and relatively safe. I like to fly my Stearman, and Clay; you like to ride during downtime. Both of these have degrees of danger but there is some control. She wants to live with no controls, and I think the Admiral came to the conclusion that he couldn't live up to her expectations."
Sarah asked, "What exactly happened on the plane?"
Sarah's POV
Apparently Clay and I had created a separate world on the plane. According to Harm and Tracy there was quite a loud blow up between the Admiral and Meredith. During our discussion she didn't explain what happened, she just kept repeating how AJ wouldn't do one simple thing. He wouldn't take risks, he wouldn't 'live', and he was a fuddy duddy. This didn't describe the man I had come to know.
Tracy and Harm looked sheepish, and were having a hard time deciding who was going to tell the story. Clay finally spoke up.
"Will one of you spill it? We slept through the break-up of the century and I would like to know what started it." He was really exasperated with them, he wasn't asking out of prurient curiosity. He wanted to know what had upset a friend. I wonder what the Admiral told him?
Finally Harm gave a small smile and spoke up. "You two must have been really sleep deprived to have slept through it!"
"Harm enough, talk," Clay practically screamed. I think Clay was getting ready to slug him.
"Harm, I don't want to have to pull Clay off of you, so please tell us what happened." I implored.
"After the movie had been on about an hour I got up to go to the bathroom. The Admiral got up at the same time and followed me down the aisle and we went into the adjoining cubicles. I was washing my hands when I heard him yell. "Meredith, what in the hell are you doing?""
"He must have been opening the door when she pushed her way in. Their conversation got quieter and I left and went back to my seat. I hadn't been in the seat more than two minutes when the Admiral came stalking past Tracy and me. He was livid. Meredith followed him closely. They sat down and the argument really got heated."
Tracy took up the tale. "She started ranting about him not wanting to live. She has really got a thing with living. She then asked why he wouldn't join the 'Mile High Club' with her. Doing 'It' would have been exciting and they were adults. He returned with that he had done the Mile High Club thing with someone and didn't feel the need to repeat the experience with her. She came back wasn't she worth the effort? Things just escalated from there. He talked about her terrible cooking and she talked about how he wouldn't risk anything. By this time the flight attendant had to ask them to be quiet, they were disturbing everyone, except the two of you. Did you take sleeping pills?"
"No we didn't take sleeping pills. I just sleep well with Sarah in my arms." Clay hugged me and kissed the top of my head. I smiled at him and returned the hug.
"Then what happened? Would you just finish telling us," I begged.
Harm looked at Tracy, and began talking again. "They continued to argue in a loud whisper. The Admiral didn't say much, but Meredith wouldn't shut up. She finally told him that if she wasn't worth the effort there was no longer any need for them to continue seeing each other. She then got up and moved to a seat in an empty row. I don't know who was more embarrassed Tracy or I for overhearing the entire thing or the Admiral for having to experience it. When the plane landed he was off the plane like a shot. Meredith followed us off. And Customs was a real peach. He had the tickets and passports, and the luggage receipts. Then a lot of their belongings were mixed between suitcases. When we got in here they just went to opposite corners pretending the other didn't exist."
"I think I'm glad I missed all of that. I knew Meredith was a fun person but didn't think she was a 'living' junkie. Harm were you referring to her flying lessons when you spoke of your experience with her?"
"Ah, yeah. She practically crashed the plane before I was able to get control back. She just laughed it off, saying how exciting it was. Almost crashing is not exciting. I've crashed one too many times to appreciate almost crashing. The woman is truly a menace. I could never understand what the Admiral saw in her."
Clay laughed sadly, "Now Harm, tell us how you truly feel. When I talked to AJ outside he was almost despondent. Hell, this weekend was the first time that he really smiled at me."
The breakup really put a damper on everything. I felt bad for both the Admiral and Meredith, although I sympathized more with AJ. Clay could tell I was upset and held me a little tighter. Tracy and Harm were upset also, but I couldn't tell how much it affected them. The Admiral obviously hadn't said anything to them about their relationship. He may have been giving them a little slack until we got back to DC. Now I hope he wouldn't jump their case.
"It's time to board the plane, let's try and round up Meredith." Clay said as he rose and helped me to my feet.
Meredith was at the gate with her ticket in her hand. The Admiral must have given it to her after they went through Customs. We boarded and took our seats. Harm and Tracy were across the aisle, and Meredith was in front of them. Everyone was quiet on the flight to LA. Clay and I were lost in our thoughts, snuggling together, fighting off the depressing feelings trying to overwhelm us. When we first started to sleep together I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Clay was a cuddler, not all men were. None of my past sleeping partners had liked to, I thought he would have been the same. I am sure he will continue to surprise me in the future.
1400 Local
Los Angeles
The layover in LA was only a few minutes and we didn't leave the plane. Clay and I got up and stretched our legs, the first class seats were comfortable but it was a long flight. I thought about talking with Meredith but she had withdrawn so much I doubt that she would talk to me. Clay held my hand as we took off joking about my fear of flying. I told him it wasn't the flying; it was the crashing that bothered me.
"I heard that Mac. You've never exactly crashed with me. Punched out yes, crash no." Harm defended his flying honor. I leaned over Clay to return fire.
"Punch out, crash. What's the difference? I still had a hard landing." I could smile about it now, but I occasionally had nightmares about it. Harm and I continued to trade barbs until Clay and Tracy called a halt to it.
"Children behave yourselves. I don't want to stop the plane and beat the both of you senseless," Clay quipped.
"And if I hear, 'Are we there yet?' you will both be grounded," Tracy managed to get out between giggles.
I think we were all punch drunk. Stinging one-liners continued to flow back and forth across the aisle, no blood was drawn, but those overhearing our conversation wouldn't believe we were close friends. Another meal and we were ready to nap again. We had been traveling forever it seemed, and only had a few more hours to go. Clay was exhausted and I felt guilty. He had been injured just a few days ago as his Technicolor bruises could attest. He had never complained about his injuries but I'm sure the facial fracture must hurt. This time I tugged him against my chest to sleep. He complimented me on my 'pillows' and dozed off as I moved my fingers slowly through his hair. I stayed awake marveling about how much my life had changed in the past few days.
I had fallen in love with someone that I least expected to. Our life would not always be smooth and we would have to learn how to live with each other, Clay would have to temper his sarcasm, and I would have to learn not to run away. I believe what we have would last, and I was certainly going to give it my best and not give up when the going got rough. Clay, I knew, rarely gave up on anything, and we were two of the most stubborn people that either of us knew. Leaning to compromise was going to be a way of life with us!
TBC
Author: Sheila
Category: Romance
Pairing: Clay/Sarah
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: As If
Spoilers: Up through 'Need to Know'
Summary: Clay and Sarah come together during an investigation
A/N: Sorry for the delay. Real Life and All That Jazz
Clay's POV
Talking about buying a home made the engagement very real. I wanted to get Sarah the home of her dreams, and she had obviously planning this for a long time. She said it was a girl thing, like a man never planned on the 2.5 kids and the picket fence. She knew me pretty well; I had never allowed my self to think about it, there seemed no hope for it ever happening. Now my buried dreams were going to come true and it made me breathless.
"What else do you want in this house?" I added jokingly, she had quite a list going already.
"You." That's all she said, you. I couldn't say anything; to say I was stunned was an understatement. I realized that her request meant that I was her home; she would live with me anywhere, and the hell with her career.
"Thank you, you are all that I need too." I leaned down to kiss her and she met me halfway. The gentle touch of lips was an affirmation of our commitment to each other, more than our words could ever say. Kissing Sarah was getting to be an addiction that I never wanted to cure. The only sounds that could be heard in the room were our sighs until my resident timekeeper voiced the hour.
"We have to pack you know," she said around my kisses.
"Luckily it's only clothes. Ramon and Jim are going to ship the gear back on Military transport; it'll save time with customs and airport security. Are you ready for a short flight on Air Rabb?" She really hated flying, and flying with Rabb was always an adventure.
"Did you have to remind me? I've gone a few hours not worrying about flying with him."
"I'll hold your hand, and anything else you want." I smirked and she popped me on the butt.
"Hey stop the hitting. I was just volunteering my services and that's the thanks I receive," I said in my most aggrieved tone.
"Stop pouting about a love tap. Let me up so we can get going." I rolled off her and helped her up. Packing took much longer than necessary because we stopped every few minutes to touch or kiss. I noticed the lemon toiletries go into the bag. I made a note to order a supply; lemon was now my favorite scent right after the special scent that was all Sarah.
For once everyone met in our suite. We had finally leaned that we didn't need to make a public spectacle of ourselves. Congratulations and words of advice were given once again. It was amazing; I had gone from a small family to this large extended one in a matter of days. It was overwhelming to someone who had led a relatively solitary life, but the presence of my Marine grounded me.
The flight from Sulawesi to Jakarta was uneventful, but my hand may never be the same. Ramon related the 'Flying with the Marine' rules and I should have heeded them. Our fist leg was on JAL to Honolulu. We were still on the CIA's dime so we were booked first class all the way to DC. The bill for this trip would be astronomical, and hopefully it wouldn't be coming out of my hide at a later date. There were only two other passengers flying in first class with us and I had arranged our seating so that we were well separated.
2000 Hours Local
Somewhere over the Pacific Ocean
After reaching flying altitude the flight crew began the meal service. Once the trays had been removed I stood and gathered pillows and blankets, moved the armrest from between the seats, and reclined the seatbacks. I gathered Sarah to my chest to snuggle and we talked about the wedding and home buying. In addition to the aforementioned porch and deluxe bathroom, we needed a large study. Both of us brought work home with us and needed an office area big enough for the two of us. We debated on four or five bedrooms. I finally won, with five. We had discussed having at least two children, and I secretly planned on more. Now that I had the opportunity for children I wanted as many as possible. Sarah would be a wonderful mother, you only had to look at her with AJ Roberts to know that. Our conversation gradually slowed until we both fell into a dreamless sleep. I woke when the attendants announced that we would be shortly landing in Honolulu and local time was seven a.m.
I placed a kiss on Sarah's brow and said, "Hey sleepyhead, time to wake up." She just shifted a little in my arms and snuffled. I decided to let her sleep a little more, enjoying the feel of her in my arms. Our landing was very smooth and she didn't stir. I shook her again when everyone else left the plane. "Come on wake up, we have to change planes."
"No," came her adamant reply.
I moved her into an upright position and kissed her. "The flight attendants want to go home, now you have to wake up." I stood and began getting our gear out of the overhead.
She stretched her arms and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "Do you know that I normally can't sleep on a plane? Whatever you are doing to me keep it up."
"I can't guarantee to keep it up all the time, but will do my best to have it up and available when you need it." She popped me on the butt again and gave me a wicked grin. Even if it was a love tap, she hit like a Marine. I was going to have to watch my mouth if I wanted to sit down on the remainder of the flight.
After forty-five minutes in customs we walked to the concourse and into the airline VIP suite. We had an hour layover to kill before we left for the mainland. Harm and Tracy were sitting on a sofa drinking coffee and talking when we walked in.
"So, Mac you decided to join the land of the living. Haven't you been getting enough sleep lately?" Harm teased.
"There is sleep and then there is sleep. You decide." She threw over her shoulder as she poured us coffee a picked up some Danish.
"Harm, don't mess around with her, she is in a hitting mood." I told him. Sarah returned with the refreshments and sat next to me, curling her legs under her. I noticed that AJ and Meredith were on opposite sides of the room seemingly trying to ignore each other.
I spoke softly to Harm, "What is going on with those two? Did they have an argument on the plane?" Sarah was also looking at them with a quizzical look on her face.
"Oh Lord, you two missed it. I can't talk about it now, but put it this way, someone wanted to join the mile high club and was firmly rebuffed." Harm murmured. I looked at Sarah and recalled my comments earlier in the day. I'm glad that we decided against trying ourselves.
"They, um, had a doozy of an argument. Meredith moved to an empty row of seats half way through the flight. They've hardly spoken a word to each other since," Tracy added.
Sarah and I looked at each other and sighed. This was not good, we still had a ten-hour journey ahead of us and I didn't want to spend it in an emotional war zone. Just then AJ walked over to us.
"Webb, may I talk with you?" He asked, but it came out like an order.
"Sure AJ, let's go outside and walk." We left the suite and moved down the concourse.
"I'm going to arrange to take another flight. As you saw Meredith and I are at an impasse right now, and I think it would be best if we were as far from each other as possible. Our meeting with the brass and the CIA hierarchy is at 0900 Monday at the Pentagon. I want everyone to go together to present a united front. If you would will bring my luggage with you I would appreciate it."
"AJ, I'm sorry to hear that. I'll have your luggage delivered to your home and we'll meet you at JAG HQ. Is there anything else we can do for you?"
He gave me a sad smile. "Webb, take care of the Marine. That's going to be a full time job for you, don't worry about me."
"AJ, I don't think you need me to worry about you, but I am concerned about you my friend." I know he heard the sincerity in my voice.
"Thanks Clay. It's good to know you are a friend, and your concern is duly noted. I just need time to think right now. I'll talk with you on Monday."
He turned and walked down the concourse, a solitary figure, in the crowded throng of travelers. I shook my head sadly and returned to the VIP suite and sat next to Sarah. She raised an eyebrow, as if to ask what was going on.
"AJ is taking another flight back. He'll meet with us at JAG HQ on Monday morning."
Sarah looked over to Meredith and turned to us, "I'll go talk with Meredith, she seems to be quite upset."
"She and AJ both. I've never seen him look like that; he looked defeated. That must have been one hell of an argument."
"Meredith is a bit of a free spirit, not exactly the type I think the Admiral usually is attracted to. Not that I think he is a stick in the mud, but I've had experience with her and she is unusual to say the least." Harm answered.
Sarah and Meredith were talking softly across the room. Meredith looked more angry than tearful from my perspective. As Harm, Tracy and I continued to talk, I kept stealing glances of the two of them. The words were getting louder and Sarah seemed to be trying to calm Meredith. Suddenly Meredith stood up and practically screamed.
"The man does not know how to live. I cannot be with someone that does not recognize that I have to live my life to the fullest. He doesn't take risks, he's, he's too sedate for me!"
Sarah stood and placed a hand on Meredith's arm and spoke too quietly for me to make out. Apparently it wasn't what Meredith wanted to hear and she turned abruptly and swept out of the room. Sarah watched the closed door for a few moments and walked over to us.
She sat down, moved into my embrace and placed her head on my shoulder. "Well that went well. I thought she might be upset about his leaving. She's upset all right, but because he wouldn't fulfill her wishes. She called him a fuddy duddy, and several other derogatory names. The Admiral doesn't like to take risks? I don't think we know the same man."
Tracy observed, "I would call the Admiral reserved, especially, in front of his staff. But I would think that he would be more relaxed with his girlfriend."
Harm snorted. "Her definition of stick in the mud is anyone that doesn't risk life and limb to 'live'. I think that every one of us risks his or her life every day in their job. When it comes to our personal life we want 'live' but want that 'living' to be peaceful and relatively safe. I like to fly my Stearman, and Clay; you like to ride during downtime. Both of these have degrees of danger but there is some control. She wants to live with no controls, and I think the Admiral came to the conclusion that he couldn't live up to her expectations."
Sarah asked, "What exactly happened on the plane?"
Sarah's POV
Apparently Clay and I had created a separate world on the plane. According to Harm and Tracy there was quite a loud blow up between the Admiral and Meredith. During our discussion she didn't explain what happened, she just kept repeating how AJ wouldn't do one simple thing. He wouldn't take risks, he wouldn't 'live', and he was a fuddy duddy. This didn't describe the man I had come to know.
Tracy and Harm looked sheepish, and were having a hard time deciding who was going to tell the story. Clay finally spoke up.
"Will one of you spill it? We slept through the break-up of the century and I would like to know what started it." He was really exasperated with them, he wasn't asking out of prurient curiosity. He wanted to know what had upset a friend. I wonder what the Admiral told him?
Finally Harm gave a small smile and spoke up. "You two must have been really sleep deprived to have slept through it!"
"Harm enough, talk," Clay practically screamed. I think Clay was getting ready to slug him.
"Harm, I don't want to have to pull Clay off of you, so please tell us what happened." I implored.
"After the movie had been on about an hour I got up to go to the bathroom. The Admiral got up at the same time and followed me down the aisle and we went into the adjoining cubicles. I was washing my hands when I heard him yell. "Meredith, what in the hell are you doing?""
"He must have been opening the door when she pushed her way in. Their conversation got quieter and I left and went back to my seat. I hadn't been in the seat more than two minutes when the Admiral came stalking past Tracy and me. He was livid. Meredith followed him closely. They sat down and the argument really got heated."
Tracy took up the tale. "She started ranting about him not wanting to live. She has really got a thing with living. She then asked why he wouldn't join the 'Mile High Club' with her. Doing 'It' would have been exciting and they were adults. He returned with that he had done the Mile High Club thing with someone and didn't feel the need to repeat the experience with her. She came back wasn't she worth the effort? Things just escalated from there. He talked about her terrible cooking and she talked about how he wouldn't risk anything. By this time the flight attendant had to ask them to be quiet, they were disturbing everyone, except the two of you. Did you take sleeping pills?"
"No we didn't take sleeping pills. I just sleep well with Sarah in my arms." Clay hugged me and kissed the top of my head. I smiled at him and returned the hug.
"Then what happened? Would you just finish telling us," I begged.
Harm looked at Tracy, and began talking again. "They continued to argue in a loud whisper. The Admiral didn't say much, but Meredith wouldn't shut up. She finally told him that if she wasn't worth the effort there was no longer any need for them to continue seeing each other. She then got up and moved to a seat in an empty row. I don't know who was more embarrassed Tracy or I for overhearing the entire thing or the Admiral for having to experience it. When the plane landed he was off the plane like a shot. Meredith followed us off. And Customs was a real peach. He had the tickets and passports, and the luggage receipts. Then a lot of their belongings were mixed between suitcases. When we got in here they just went to opposite corners pretending the other didn't exist."
"I think I'm glad I missed all of that. I knew Meredith was a fun person but didn't think she was a 'living' junkie. Harm were you referring to her flying lessons when you spoke of your experience with her?"
"Ah, yeah. She practically crashed the plane before I was able to get control back. She just laughed it off, saying how exciting it was. Almost crashing is not exciting. I've crashed one too many times to appreciate almost crashing. The woman is truly a menace. I could never understand what the Admiral saw in her."
Clay laughed sadly, "Now Harm, tell us how you truly feel. When I talked to AJ outside he was almost despondent. Hell, this weekend was the first time that he really smiled at me."
The breakup really put a damper on everything. I felt bad for both the Admiral and Meredith, although I sympathized more with AJ. Clay could tell I was upset and held me a little tighter. Tracy and Harm were upset also, but I couldn't tell how much it affected them. The Admiral obviously hadn't said anything to them about their relationship. He may have been giving them a little slack until we got back to DC. Now I hope he wouldn't jump their case.
"It's time to board the plane, let's try and round up Meredith." Clay said as he rose and helped me to my feet.
Meredith was at the gate with her ticket in her hand. The Admiral must have given it to her after they went through Customs. We boarded and took our seats. Harm and Tracy were across the aisle, and Meredith was in front of them. Everyone was quiet on the flight to LA. Clay and I were lost in our thoughts, snuggling together, fighting off the depressing feelings trying to overwhelm us. When we first started to sleep together I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Clay was a cuddler, not all men were. None of my past sleeping partners had liked to, I thought he would have been the same. I am sure he will continue to surprise me in the future.
1400 Local
Los Angeles
The layover in LA was only a few minutes and we didn't leave the plane. Clay and I got up and stretched our legs, the first class seats were comfortable but it was a long flight. I thought about talking with Meredith but she had withdrawn so much I doubt that she would talk to me. Clay held my hand as we took off joking about my fear of flying. I told him it wasn't the flying; it was the crashing that bothered me.
"I heard that Mac. You've never exactly crashed with me. Punched out yes, crash no." Harm defended his flying honor. I leaned over Clay to return fire.
"Punch out, crash. What's the difference? I still had a hard landing." I could smile about it now, but I occasionally had nightmares about it. Harm and I continued to trade barbs until Clay and Tracy called a halt to it.
"Children behave yourselves. I don't want to stop the plane and beat the both of you senseless," Clay quipped.
"And if I hear, 'Are we there yet?' you will both be grounded," Tracy managed to get out between giggles.
I think we were all punch drunk. Stinging one-liners continued to flow back and forth across the aisle, no blood was drawn, but those overhearing our conversation wouldn't believe we were close friends. Another meal and we were ready to nap again. We had been traveling forever it seemed, and only had a few more hours to go. Clay was exhausted and I felt guilty. He had been injured just a few days ago as his Technicolor bruises could attest. He had never complained about his injuries but I'm sure the facial fracture must hurt. This time I tugged him against my chest to sleep. He complimented me on my 'pillows' and dozed off as I moved my fingers slowly through his hair. I stayed awake marveling about how much my life had changed in the past few days.
I had fallen in love with someone that I least expected to. Our life would not always be smooth and we would have to learn how to live with each other, Clay would have to temper his sarcasm, and I would have to learn not to run away. I believe what we have would last, and I was certainly going to give it my best and not give up when the going got rough. Clay, I knew, rarely gave up on anything, and we were two of the most stubborn people that either of us knew. Leaning to compromise was going to be a way of life with us!
TBC