There was nothing better than enjoying a little peace and quiet, camped out on the couch with a good book while waiting for your darling husband to come home. Selene reached for her coffee, her eyes glued to the page she was reading, almost choking when someone behind her started speaking.
"He fumbled between their joined bodies, her skirt already rucked up around her waist where her legs were locked around him. He burrowed his fingers down lower and pushed aside her panties- Does John know you're reading this?"
Selene eeped in shock and slammed the book closed.
Scott grinned as he dropped down on the couch opposite her, totally unashamed that he'd almost given his best friend a heart attack.
"I thought you said that was a romance?"
"It is a romance."
"No, that is porn, girl porn, but porn all the same."
"Who's got porn? I thought we made that pact after Grandma found the stash in the-" Gordon stopped himself before he said anything incriminating.
"Sel's reading girl porn," Scott informed him gleefully.
"No, I'm not!"
"Ohh, does John know you're reading porn?" Gordon asked.
"Why do I keep getting asked that? I do not need his permission to read porn!"
"Ah, so you admit that it's porn," Gordon said, pouncing on the information like Armstrong on a spider.
"It's not porn it's a romance novel!" Selene huffed, slamming down her coffee cup harder than necessary.
"A really dirty romance novel," Scott told Gordon. "With body parts inserting into other body parts and lots of moaning. Here!" Scott had snatched up the book off her lap and tossed it in Gordon's direction before Selene even registered he'd moved.
Gordon caught the book and began flicking through the pages, his eyes growing wider as his eyes skimmed the words.
"She felt her body slowly heating, arousal beginning to pulse through her like a steady drum beat and by the time his skilled fingers slid their way down her stomach to between her thighs she was aching and more than ready for him. He purred low in his throat to feel just how wet she was for him, his fingers easing insi-,"
"Would you please stop! You're making it dirty when it's not, it's romantic and sexy." Scott and Gordon didn't look convinced.
"You're right, it's not dirty, it's filthy. We have to hide everything and she's lounging around in public reading such material, well, I do declare that to be both scandalous and unfair," Gordon lectured in the tone of a Victorian mother whose daughter had been caught in the hayloft with a groom.
"It's romantic," she repeated, trying to keep her cool. "He's all alpha and antisocial and doesn't want a partner but she's his soul mate and the love of his life, they realise how much they love each other and that they can't live without each other so don't you dare try to make it out to be wrong and make me feel bad about reading them."
"You said John's your soul mate," Scott clarified, completely ignoring her warning of not making her feel bad.
"I did, yes," she sighed, wondering where he was going with it.
"And he's nothing like an alpha," he continued to taunt.
"I'm aware," she ground out between clenched teeth, getting pretty sick of the questions.
"Apart from the antisocial thing," Gordon added.
"Yes, apart from that," Scott agreed.
"And he can be quite bossy," Gordon continued to muse.
"That too," Scott allowed.
Giving up on all hope of further relaxation she sat up, swinging her legs down off the couch, feeling the need to be upright in order to properly retain what little dignity she had left. She could yell well enough while lying down but it did put her at a disadvantage if she needed to hit them.
"It's not going to work," Selene told them.
"What isn't?"
"We've not done anything."
Identical expression of innocence, which she didn't believe for a second, looked her way.
"You're not going to make me feel bad about my books. It's fun to read stuff like that, most girls I know can appreciate a little bossyness and dominance sometimes but it doesn't mean we want an alpha male of our own full time. I'm more than happy with the husband I have, thank you very much, he's perfect as he is. Besides, could you imagine me putting up with that, no one tells me what to do unless I want them to."
"They'd be crazy to try it," Gordon agreed, a smile firmly fixed on his face as he watched his brother and sister bicker, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle.
"Damn straight," she confirmed with a firm nod. She was a grown woman, she refused to let them make her feel embarrassed over reading a little bit of spice. Hell, her husband spent far too much time in space, she needed all the help she could get sometimes.
"But that's still really smutty," he added, just to stir the pot a little more as he flicked through a few more pages.
"I know!" she shrieked, bouncing up to snatch the book out of his hands. In possession of it once again she now had no clue what to do with it, it wasn't like she could just kick back and keep reading, they would never give her any peace. With no other choice she grumpily tossed it onto the coffee table, completely done with the pair of them.
"Ah, but does John know you're reading it?" Scott asked again, clearly in the mood to torment and therefore lacking any sense of self preservation.
"Yes!" she snapped out, wondering if she could just burn the damn thing and be done with it...she paused, her brain skidding to a halt as an idea formed. They wanted to pick on her for sport? Well two could play at that game. When she spoke again she was a lot calmer, more casual, more calculated. "He knows I read them and believe me he'll be benefiting from it later, too, especially if he brings his take charge attitude with him."
That stopped them in their tracks, their faces morphing from gleeful to horrified.
"Urghh, too much information, Sel."
She grinned evilly, more than willing to throw her husband under the bus if it meant getting revenge for how they had just teased her. They had tried to embarrass her, which normally didn't work because she did not embarrass easily, yet they still tried, so now it was her turn to make them uncomfortable. That would teach the little shits.
"I'm just waiting for him to get home so we can start our anniversary night. We've got a lovely hotel room booked and I did read an interesting part about a hotel elevator just now…"
Scott and Gordon fell silent for a few moments, identical expressions of ick on their faces. Deciding that she was done for now and would let them stew, Selene pulled her phone out of her bag, having lost all enthusiasm for her book and was soon deeply invested in a picture collection of dogs wearing hats.
"I'm sorry," Gordon butted in again, breaking the silence, "But I gotta ask, do you just read them on your own or does John-" he trailed off when he saw the evil smile was back on her face.
"Do I what?"
Selene snickered when Scott jumped just as much as she had earlier, unprepared for the sudden appearance of John entering the room directly behind him.
"Not so nice when it happens to you, is it?" Selene taunted.
"What happened? What did he do?" John asked. "And what was I supposed to be doing? Did I forget something?" He looked so confused that Selene took pity on him, bouncing up off the couch to steal a kiss.
Gordon and Scott continued to stare at him like he was a stranger.
"Why are they both looking at me like that?" he asked once he had dispensed the required three kisses, two quick pecks and a slightly longer one to finish up.
"Ignore them," she said, dismissing them with a wave of her hand. "I've been good and packed already."
"You? Being good? And here I was thinking I'd have to get bossy with you to get us to leave on time, wonders will never cease."
"I never said you couldn't get bossy," she whispered, just loud enough to make sure that Scott and Gordon heard it too.
"And then we really will be late," he mock scolded. "Now go get your bag and stop attempting to distract me." He followed his order up with a light smack to her behind.
"Yes, sir," she responded, throwing in a salute as she headed for the door, leaving John at the mercy of his brothers.
"You're still staring at me," John accused as he did his customary sweep of the seating area looking for anything she'd left behind that she might want. "Did something happen?"
His brothers declined to comment. It was rather weird and John actually felt the need to make conversation as he picked up her coffee cup, checking to see if there was any left.
"Is Grandma back yet?" Maybe she could shed some light on the situation he'd apparently walked in on.
Scott and Gordon shook their heads almost in unison. John sipped Selene's leftover coffee, trying to ignore the fact that her mug had a picture of Virgil's face on it. They still weren't saying a word, just watching him like hawks and honestly it was starting to creep him out a little. His eyes roamed the seating area, zeroing in on a lip balm, a hairband and an abandoned book.
"Looks like she forgot her book," he said, mostly to himself, wanting to break the weird silence in any way possible. "She'll be annoyed if she doesn't have it, she likes to read in bed."
A choked noise escaped Gordon and Scott's eyes had grown wider. John narrowed his eyes in their general direction. They were acting suspiciously, this was never good.
"OK, what's going on?"
"I'm ready!" Selene trilled out, announcing her presence as she thumped her way back into the room dragging a surprisingly small (for her) overnight bag in one hand and his much smaller one in the other.
She dumped his bag on the couch and dug around under the side table for her handbag. "Let me just check I've got everything."
John waited patiently while she rummaged around in the cavernous depths, handing her first the lip balm and the hair tie when she muttered about their apparent loss.
"I think that's it," she announced a few minutes later.
"Don't forget this," John reminded her, handing her the book.
"Thanks, babe, I wouldn't want to forget that, I might get bored and need something stimulating." She tossed the book in her bag as casually as possible, avoiding looking in the direction of Scott or Gordon, knowing that if she did she'd burst out laughing.
"Are we good to go now?"
"Yep."
"Enjoy your night away," Gordon snorted, trying desperately to hold back the sniggers he could feel bubbling up.
"We will," John assured him. "We've got tickets to the opera."
"The opera? Seriously? That's what you're doing on your first wedding anniversary?" Scott couldn't have sounded any more disgusted if he'd tried.
"I can't say I've ever had much of an urge to go before," Selene admitted. "But John's assured me it's beautiful and that I'll love it once we're there so I've chosen to trust him."
"You will love it, it's L'Orfeo, the story of Orpheus and his descent into the underworld in an attempt to rescue his bride, Eurydice. The name orfeo means the darkness of light."
"You're taking your wife to an opera about a man whose wife dies and he can't get her back, on your anniversary?" Scott asked incredulously, needing to clarify.
"Yes."
"The romance is strong in this one," Scott side whispered to Gordon. "No wonder she reads those books."
"What books?" John asked, his eyes darting to Selene. "Am I not romantic enough for you?"
"Of course you are," she assured him. "The hotel will be beautiful, the dinner will be delicious and I'm sure I'll love the opera and I can't wait to see it with you, which we won't get to do if we ignore these idiots and get going already."
John didn't look convinced but allowed himself to be hustled towards the door.
"Bye you two," Gordon called, waving innocently from the couch. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
"That leaves about four things, not including public nudity," John replied as he shifted his grip on Selene's bag, wondering just what the hell she had packed in the damn thing, they were only going for one night.
"That was one time and it wasn't my fault , I was framed!"
"No you weren't you-"
Beep Beep Beep
-x-
"I promise we won't be too long, Grandma should be back soon and she can take over."
"Babe, it's fine, we've got ages yet, it's all good."
"I've called the hotel and told them there will be a delay in our check in which they have assured me it's fine, we have until ten to pick up the keys, after which they close their reception."
"That'll be fine, we'll make it with plenty of time to spare," Selene assured him. "You just focus on doing what you do best and coordinate this damned rescue. The sooner we get it done the sooner we can take the tin can back down and start our anniversary. Think about it, it might be a good thing, now you don't have to fly the jet and can relax a bit more."
"There is that," he admitted, already distracted by the information scrolling past his eyes on his many screens. Even after almost four years it was still mind boggling to her how he managed to do so much at once. She'd gotten better with helping out and working out what the screens were showing but her geography still sucked, she still had trouble following his way of doing things and understanding all the information, although she was nowhere near as useless as she had once been.
With nothing better to do she settled into a floating lotus position, her preferred way of sitting when in the zero gravity of the comms sphere, feeling that it was a little safer than having her legs flailing all over the place. More dignified, less uncoordinated baby giraffe or drunk mermaid trying to swim upstream.
"If Dad wasn't at the training center with Lee he could have done this," John groused, the one time she'd ever seen him looking less than happy to be doing his job. Usually he relished being in the thick of things, coordinating and yes, bossing his brothers around, telling them where to go and what to do...OK so maybe her man was a little more alpha than people gave him credit for.
She had always known that the Tracy line produced what her grandfather would have called 'manly men' but they had never been the kind of dickehead ones that made you want to bean them with a baseball bat. They were commanding yet caring, bossy yet they knew when to listen to the opinions of others and when to bow down to someone else's expertise. They had a habit of rushing in and doing what they felt was right, but they didn't make decisions for you just because they could, they always thought about the person they were helping and put their wellbeing first rather than caring more about appeasing their own egos.
But they were still strong characters, they still had a tendency to want to rush in with an attitude of 'I'm the man, I got this shit'. They didn't do it on purpose, they certainly didn't do it with a need to dominate or as some kind of power trip and John even less so.
That was one of the things that had attracted her to him so much. She, someone that hated asking for help and would often suffer rather than break down and request assistance, had found herself needing to do just that. The time she had been with Nathaniel couldn't have been more different to the four years she had experienced with John. Nathaniel made her feel weak and stupid, John made her feel capable, like she could do anything she put her mind to.
Nathaniel had been what most men considered an alpha male, they thought you had to dominate, demand and order your woman around, that all their power came from the hold they had over their partner. They had an aggressive air, they were domineering, insensitive and selfish, always wanting things their own way. And Nathaniel acted the part well. He was of the mind that women were property, that they did as they were told. She'd never done well with being told what to do and after she'd kicked him out she'd been even less inclined to follow orders.
When she had first seen the Tracy brothers, with the way they flew into a danger zone like action heroes to save the day, she had thought she knew how they would be, dickhead manly men. Now she knew that most of them, especially Scott, were dickheads in the best possible way. And she knew the truth, that they were alpha males, in the way that it mattered.
Her books weren't full of the dickhead type, oh no, they were honest, dependable, strong, supportive, caring, moral and only dominated when it counted. They were sexy because they were confident, strong willed and determined to do the right thing. They took charge because they needed to, not because they felt the need to assert their power over someone or something. Even if they were the dickhead type at first they evolved, learning the error of their ways, learning to communicate, to trust and to love.
Honestly, if you went by that definition of alpha male, John was as alpha as they came and she was perfectly fine with that. He knew when to support and when to take over to ease her burden, he knew when she needed pushing and when to leave her alone to make her own mind up. He trusted her, he respected her and her opinions and they talked everything through before making any decisions that would affect them both. Yep, when she had told Scott that she was perfectly happy with the husband that she had she meant it, because he was alpha in all the ways that counted and damn sexy with it.
"Why are you staring at me and smiling?"
"Huh?" She snapped out of her daydream like musings when he spoke to her rather than into the comms.
"You're staring at me, why is everyone staring at me today?"
"Because you're gorgeous?"
"I doubt very much that that's the reason," he argued, but she could see the small smile that flirted with his lips. It wouldn't take much to bring it out full force.
"Well, I can't speak for everyone, but I'm pretty sure that's why I'm staring while thinking just how lucky I am that you married me."
There it was, that beautiful full smile of his.
"You're flattering me so I'll let you get snacks for the opera, aren't you?"
"As if I would! You might be the one that's determined to force some culture on me but even I know you can't be chowing down on a tub of popcorn at the theater, that's strictly a movie thing. Give me some credit. I was flattering you because you deserve it and it's true."
"If you say so."
"I do, now, tell me, how's the rescue going? You know I zone out the second I see your butt in that suit."
"I'm still not letting you get snacks, but the answer would be slowly, very very slowly." He offered her a hand, tugging her closer so she could see his screens. "Although at least Virgil and Gordon have gotten there in time, a few hours longer and his air might have run out."
He pointed to the screen where she could see the small, slowly moving symbol for Thunderbird Four with the green symbol of Two hovering above it.
"I still can't believe he survived that," she whispered in disbelief, her eyes tracking the drama playing out in front of them on the screens.
"Me either, he certainly got lucky."
"If you can call it that, it looks like he's going to lose his home," she sighed, watching the feed showing the small fishing boat lying mostly intact on the river bed.
"Better his home than his life. If he hadn't been in the bathroom at the time and the air pocket hadn't formed he'd have been dead within minutes."
"I know, but damn. I just feel so sorry for him. Who moves onto a fishing boat on a river and ends up sucked into a whirlpool? It makes no sense. Gordon said that they were formed when two opposing currents meet, rivers only have movement currents, not tides like the ocean, so seriously, what the hell happened?"
"This happened," John moved over to tap something on the map, expanding it to show the expanse of river bed that Thunderbird Four was traversing. "You see that?"
She leant closer to look. "I see it but that tells me nothing and doesn't answer my question."
"That's a sinkhole. Newly formed but apparently already deadly. The force of the river bed collapsing in on itself like that caused the whirlpool to form. Mr Franklin's boat must have been directly over it when the limestone finally gave way. It would have been eroding for as long as the river has been flowing, it was just terrible timing on his part. The boat sank so quickly, basically sucked down but with no damage to its hull like with other shipwrecks, meaning that the air never got a chance to escape, instead forming the air pocket that he's currently breathing in. Apparently the fact that he was in the bathroom meant that he was in a confined space as the boat went down, protecting him from tumbling debris when everything launched out of cupboards and off shelves as his world literally turned upside down. Even though he was protected he still hit his head."
"He really is lucky to be alive."
"Yeah, he is. He isn't sure how long he was knocked out for but once he regained consciousness he got himself out of the bathroom to find his home at the bottom of the river. If it had been deeper than it is, the pressure would have likely blown out the windows allowing the water to flow in. As it is he's essentially trapped down there with no way in or out."
"So what's Gordon planning on doing?" she asked, sliding her hand into his and giving it a little squeeze.
"I have no idea."
-x-
So much for a simple rescue, he really needed to learn to keep his mouth shut. The promised short rescue had already run into more than two hours and showed no signs of stopping any time soon.
"John, can you patch me through to Mr Franklin?"
"On it," John replied, opening up a three way line between himself, Gordon and the man still trapped in his boat.
"Mr Franklin, this is Gordon Tracy with International Rescue. I know you've been talking to my brother but he's not the water expert here, I am, so I'm taking over."
"Al-alright," Mr Franklin stammered, clearly floored to hear Gordon's voice come bursting out of his radio.
"Now, I've assessed the situation and as far as I can tell we have two choices. Option one, is I try to get through the whirlpool, maneuver my sub in as close to your cabin door as possible, get ready with the breathing apparatus and slam it on your head the second we open the door then drag you in-"
"I don't like the sound of that," Mr Franklin said. "There's a whirlpool out there."
"I'm aware," Gordon replied as calmly as he could. "Which is why we have option two, which is a little slower and still presents some risks but ultimately might be for the best. Now my little sub is good but while she could battle through that whirlpool I don't think your boat would stand up to the treatment of being dragged out."
"She's a sturdy boat but I don't know if she's taken any damage."
"And we wouldn't want to risk that. So what we're proposing is for me to get through to you, to attach a cable to your boat and take that up through the centre of the whirlpool so we can pull you out, boat and all. Which means I have to return to Thunderbird Two after because my sub alone wouldn't be enough to pull you out."
"I don't like the sound of that either," Mr Franklin answered.
"It might take a while, but I promise you, no we are not giving up on you, we will get you out," Gordon told him, his voice calm, confident, trustworthy.
The man was silent for a few moments, other than a very audible gulp, before he eventually spoke.
"I'll trust your judgement, we'll go with option Two."
"FAB, John will keep you updated and I'll be seeing you soon up in the big bird."
John cut the connection to Franklin but left his comm open to Gordon and Virgil as Thunderbird Two took up position over the swirling water ready to retrieve the sub.
"John, why don't you and Selene go?" Virgil said as he checked the sights on his cables. "We can handle this, there's nothing you can do to help from up there, you're just wasting time."
"I can still help with-"
"Yes, you could, but you don't need to," Gordon butted in. "You have plans and they've already been changed once, you don't need to do it again."
"Are you sure?" John asked, his eyes darting to Selene who was deep in conversation with EOS trying to explain the purpose and tradition of celebrating a wedding anniversary. He really didn't want their plans ruined any further but he also couldn't bring himself to abandon his brothers when they might need him.
"Of course we're sure, give us a little credit, Grandma will be home soon and if she's not Scott and Alan are back at base, they can monitor if you can't, so quit worrying."
"Gordon's right," Virgil said, "I know you're the best we have but I'm sure Scott can manage for a few hours."
"Go and spend the night with your wife," Gordon insisted. "I heard she's got plans for you."
"She does?" The way Gordon said it it didn't sound like a good thing.
"Do I even want to know?" Virgil asked tiredly.
"I didn't ask for details, I just know she was reading for inspiration. That's what a year of marriage does to you, makes you boring," Gordon continued to taunt. "If John was any kind of husband he'd be biting our hands off to accept our offer and getting his ass in his elevator pronto."
"Fine, fine, I give, I'll go if only to stop your unwarranted attack on my skills as a husband," John shot back, but there was no venom in his tone. Honestly he was grateful that his brothers were giving him an out. "I'll call Scott and let him know what's going on."
"Yeah, you go, bro!"
"Alright, enjoy yourselves," Virgil called out just before Gordon shut off the comm.
"I guess you've been told," Selene said quietly from somewhere behind him, her arms sliding around his waist, whether it was to anchor herself or just because she wanted to cuddle him he didn't know but he wasn't about to complain.
He settled his arms on top of hers where they were locked around his middle, allowing himself to relax back against her chest, simply enjoying the quiet moment. He could feel her heart thumping steadily against his back, her soft breath fluttering across his neck, he could feel her comforting, supportive presence wrapping around him, calming his senses.
His brothers were right, there wasn't much more he could do to help, it was just unheard-of for him to step away when a rescue was ongoing. Sometimes he needed to be pushed into things for his own good. And it would be good. They might be rushing around a little and doing things out of the order they had planned, but at least they would be doing them. At least he wouldn't have to let her down any further.
"They're both pains in my ass," he answered with a fond smile. "But they had a good point, I'm going to call Scott and get him t-"
Beep Beep Beep
He ignored it, just for a second. Just one blissful second of ignorance where he could believe that something would actually go right and that it would be a wrong number.
"Babe?" Her voice was soft and a little unsure. He was unsure himself, it wasn't like him not to leap at a call. It was just...it was sometimes too much to hope that he could make plans and they would actually go off without a hitch.
They hadn't even wanted to make plans for this very reason, they had forgone plans for their summer solstice anniversary, the night they had met, in favour of being spontaneous whenever they had the chance. But this one, marking their first official year of being married, they had decided to listen to Grandma and chance it. Now it looked like their instincts had been correct.
"Do you want me to answer it?"
"No, I've got it," John sighed deeply as she let go and moved aside, allowing him to answer the call.
"This is International Rescue, what's your emergency?"
-x-
"I'm so sorry."
"Stop saying that, it's fine, just cancel the dinner, we can find somewhere to eat after the opera, it'll be fine, it's Venice, I'm sure they'll have a lovely little family run place somewhere that we can just dive right into."
"Are you sure you'd be okay with that?"
"Babe, it's me, you know I'm more of a simple girl anyway. Besides, everyone knows that the home cooking places have better food than the fancy restaurants."
"I just wanted to take you someplace special like you deserve," John sighed, pulling up the contact information for the restaurant and sending them a message cancelling the table they had booked. He hated the fact that they had never had what amounted to a normal relationship, where the husband had a job with set hours, where he was home every night just in time for dinner. Hell, he might even have had a regular sleep pattern, wouldn't that be a rare and marvelous thing?
That there was yet another reason that he'd been uncomfortable about the idea of them having a child. She might say she was fine with broken plans and last minute dates that were never what they really wanted to do, but when it came to missing his child's milestones, their first words, their first steps, their birthday parties, those were things that couldn't be rearranged or put off for another day. Selene was the most supportive and understanding partner he could ever have wished for, but everyone had their limits and he was still worried that one day she would reach hers, and that limit would be reached a lot quicker with a child added to the equation.
He just wanted to do right by the people he cares about, especially his wife and future children. He didn't want to be the kind of husband and father that his had been, one that missed anniversaries and birthdays, special events, parent teacher conferences and sports days. He wanted it all and right at that moment he wasn't sure if it was even possible. It felt like he was dreaming the impossible dream.
"Special is nice, but in the grand scheme of things it's not what I care about, I care more about us spending time together. We'll guide Scott through this and then head down in time to catch the show," she soothed, her voice and the gentle hand she placed on his arm jolting him back to the here and now. "Now stop worrying about me and help him."
"I am," he answered. He's on his way there now, I just can't believe that this is all happening today of all days, it's like a perfect storm of rescues. A freak sinkhole leading to an even freakier whirlpool is one thing, that I can just about wrap my head around, add in a call out for an injured climber and yes, that makes sense, that's a tuesday-"
"But the helicopter sent out to rescue him needing rescue, that's a friday night movie thing," Selene finished for him. "It is what it is, this is our job, we're International Rescue, we're the ones that are there when no one else is."
"I know that but-" Once again she cut him off with a finger to his lips and he resisted the urge to bite it. He knew that she wasn't just trying to make him feel better with placating words that she didn't really mean, but that just made it all the worse for him. She put up with a lot from both him and his family and she never complained, she just accepted things with her usual understanding. She deserved a special night where he got to spoil her and remind her just why she married him in the first place. Now he was having to watch their plans unravel further as the minutes ticked by, turning into hours that they just didn't have.
"But you can't run International Rescue on a nine to five schedule. That means that things aren't always going to go according to plan and we're not always going to be able to do the things we want to."
"I know that but-" He sighed when her finger tapped his lips again, allowing her to continue speaking even if she wasn't allowing him to. Sometimes it was better just to let her have her own way.
"There are no buts, just facts," she told him, silencing him with a kiss this time. "I knew this when we got together, I knew this when I agreed to marry you, I knew this when we got married and I still know it a year later."
"Much as I appreciate the fact that you understand, it doesn't mean both of us have to miss out, why don't you go down on your own, maybe pick up your mom on the way and I'll join you both for dinner later." That was the best he could offer, at least that way he wouldn't feel so guilty that she was missing out on something she had actually seemed quite excited about. He'd picked an opera that he just knew she would love. The beauty of the music, coupled with the grecian stylings and a story that she knew well would have been the perfect introduction for her.
"Mum?" Selene snorted in disbelief. "Husband are you ill?"
He rolled his eyes at her statement. "No, I just thought that you could at least still go-"
"Nope, I'm not going without you. Either we both go or neither of us go, so you had better stop arguing and get to work." Her last words were delivered with another kiss.
"Yes, ma'am," he had no choice but to say, knowing that arguing with her was futile at the best of times and downright impossible when she was in her current mood. He turned back to his screens, watching Scott's progress as Thunderbird one bombed across the Pacific towards the United States. "Thunderbird One, what is your ETA?"
"Five minutes, Thunderbird Five, I'm heading straight for Washington. Did you get the rest of the details?"
"Experienced climber was scaling Mount Rainier with a couple of friends when he took a rock to the shoulder and head, suspected dislocation or broken collarbone and mild to severe concussion. He managed to call for help and the national park rescue team sent out a three man team, one pilot and two mountain rescue guys The idea was to bring the chopper in close enough for the two rescuers to climb down the ladder with a harness and a backboard, gather up the injured man and his friends, get them aboard and head for home. Simple enough."
"But?" Scott asked. There was always a but.
"The same melting snow that had let loose the bounders was unfortunately not soft enough to stop the forming of glaciers. A freak crosswind sent the helicopter in toward the mountain, they clipped a glacier, ending up nose down on the side of the mountain."
"Anyone else hurt? Do I need to wait for Virgil and Gordon?"
"You might have to, you won't fit everyone in Thunderbird One, there's six people total, one of which is injured that we already know of. The mountain rescue guys apparently climbed straight out of the helicopter and proceeded up the mountain under their own steam, having left the pilot with the helicopter. I have yet to hear if they've reached the stranded party."
Scott made a frustrated noise under his breath, but John knew it wasn't meant in a nasty way, he was just worried that more people could be hurt or put themselves in danger if they weren't already, because they hadn't stayed put. There was nothing worse in a rescue than having to locate someone that had moved from their original position.
"Just concentrate on finding the stranded party first and getting help to the injured man, then hopefully Virgil and Gordon will have finished up and be on their way to join you."
"FAB," Scott responded, "just point me in the right direction and leave it all to us."
"FAB." John set to work tracking the position of the original call for help, the number having been logged by the national parks call center. Luckily the cell phone they had used was still operational, meaning that it was a relatively simple task to lactate the stranded climbers. He called them back, relaying what had happened to their original rescuers and assuring them that help was still on the way. They promised him that they wouldn't move from the spot they were in, camped out on a ledge in a small pop up emergency shelter that they had secured to the rock face.
Suitably assured that they weren't about to do anything idiotic before Scott made it to them, he tried calling the mountain rescue team, who had apparently not yet reached the original group. They didn't answer the first call he tried, but their equipment seemed to be functioning as it should and, once he honed in on their signal, he could tell that they were still moving slowly up the mountainside towards the stationary climbers. After a second call went unanswered John assumed that they were too focused on their climb to answer and not that they were in any kind of immediate danger seeing as they were making slow but steady progress.
"Thunderbird Five to Thunderbird One."
"Loud and clear, John, I'm circling the danger zone, what have you got for me?"
"I've sent the coordinates of the injured party to you and located the helicopter, the tracker is still operating, I've sent the details to Virgil and Gordon. They succeeded in reeling in the boat and have left that at the nearest dock and transported Mr Franklin to the hospital for a check up, they should be leaving in a few minutes. I've advised them to retrieve the pilot first, taking him out of any immediate danger, after which we'll scan the mountain side and locate the guys from mountain rescue."
"FAB, keep me posted."
"Will do."
"And John? Sorry about your plans, I hope Sel isn't too upset."
"She's fine," John assured him. "She knows it can't be helped."
"You can still make the show though, right?"
John looked at one of the many clocks on his displays, located the one for Italy. "I doubt it, I told her to go with her mom but you know how she is."
"Stubborn?"
"Got it in one," John said, smiling fondly. "She's refusing to go without me. Hopefully we can rearrange our tickets, maybe for tomorrow, and still get to enjoy a night in a nice hotel with a room service breakfast in bed."
"We'll do our best to get you there," Scott promised, but John shook his head, knowing that such promises couldn't be made.
"Just concentrate on your job, I'll do mine and hopefully we'll meet somewhere in the middle."
"Don't worry, we will. Where's Sel now?"
"Out in the gravity ring talking to her mother, who is no doubt telling her all about her latest date with Parker, details of which Sel will no doubt pass on to me later just to traumatise me further."
"Rather you than me," Scott laughed.
"It comes to something when Parker can organise a better date night than I can."
-x-
"I had to cancel the hotel, we missed the last check in."
"I figured as much," Selene said, moving from her spot by the door, crossing over to join him where he stood in the gravity ring.
"I'm really sorry, the rescue took longer than we expected. Scott got the injured climber to hospital and went back to help Virgil and Gordon with the others but there was a problem with the locators and we couldn't find the guys from mountain rescue."
"Babe, it's fine, you don't have to explain yourself to me," she reminded him, sliding her arm around his waist as she cosied up to his side. It was getting late even by their standards, they had stayed up late the previous night in an effort to match the time zone shift to Venice, her man had been working for almost five hours straight and he looked like he badly needed a nap.
"I do for this, it's our first anniversary and I-"
"Second," she corrected. "We were just a bit busy for the first one."
"It's our first official and legal anniversary," he amended, "And I wanted it to be perfect for you."
"Any night with you is already perfect," she promised, cupping his chin in her hand and turning his head so he was looking at her rather than the wide expanse of space outside the craft. "You're all that matters to me."
She stole a small kiss, feeling slightly relieved when he didn't make any move to resist.
"All that matters to me is that we spend it together, which we have," she continued, pushing her point home.
"Yes, but together working."
"Exactly as I expected us to," she laughed, brushing his concerns aside with a dismissive wave of her hand. "As I said earlier, we're International Rescue, it was bound to happen. Honestly I'd have been more surprised if it hadn't. It's fine, work comes first, besides, unless you're planning on leaving me any time soon we've got a lifetime together, we can do something another day."
"I just really wanted it to be special," he repeated, just as he had earlier. He didn't mean to be so whiny and pathetic about it but it really had pissed him off. He'd wanted one night to spend with his wife on their first anniversary, he knew that there would be times when things wouldn't go according to plan, he knew that it would be a running theme for their lives, plans constantly being rearranged or missed out on entirely because a rescue had come in. He'd made peace with that fact, but he'd hoped so much that they would get at least one, this first one, to go right.
"I know you did, but it was special," she argued.
He snorted in disbelief. It hadn't been special in any way, shape or form.
"It was special because of you and the boys. You saved those people, you made it so that they will go home tonight, so that their families won't have to spend the rest of their lives missing them. They will never forget that. They will never forget how, in their darkest moments, they called out into the void and you were there. Just as you were for me. That's all anyone wants to know and I for one think that is the most special thing in the world."
He sighed deeply, but nodded, knowing that she was right. She felt some of the tension he had been carrying drain away, felt his frame slump a little as he leant against her, allowing her to support him for a brief moment before he straightened again, ever the capable member of International Rescue.
"We had plans," she said, pushing her point home with all the subtlety of a battering ram. "They didn't work out, it's a hazard of the job but at least we had them."
He raised an eyebrow, unsure where she was going with that particular statement. "What good are plans if we can't follow through with them?"
"It's not the plans themselves but the fact that we cared enough to make them," she explained. "And we can make more in the future, we've got time."
"I just… I don't feel like I get to do all the things that most husbands do for their wife, you know? A simple show, a nice dinner and a night away from the house and the kids, even though we don't have kids yet I have enough annoying brothers that that is still valid."
Selene shook her head, grasping his chin again, this time to turn his head so they could both look out to the stars that surrounded them. "Look at them, just look at them."
He dutifully looked out, his eyes immediately tracking from one cluster to the next, the familiar patterns and shapes so comforting to him. He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he felt himself relax. He knew who he was up here, he was calm, confident, in control, unlike how he had often felt in life itself.
"Most husbands promise their wife the world," she said softly, bringing his attention back to her. "But they rarely live up to that promise. You didn't just promise the world, you promised me the whole universe, and you delivered."
She allowed the silence that wrapped around them, the silence of quiet comms and no world outside that could intrude on their peace with the sound of neighbours, cars or people, all living their lives to the beat of their own drum. Up here there was only them, all that they needed.
"Most husbands will do something cute like point up at the night sky and tell their wife to pick a star and proclaim that it's now theirs. But you, you gave me a galaxy of them." She turned to look at him, her eyes roaming his dips and shadows of his features created by the many internal lights of the gravity ring.
"For a witch, that's pretty special, especially for one named after a moon goddess." She sighed happily, dragging his arms around her middle as she moved to stand in front of him, leaning back against his chest as he had done with her earlier. "We're exactly where we're supposed to be, and that's anywhere we're together. Anything else is just window dressing."
"Yeah, I know," he murmured, propping his chin on her shoulder. She was right, things had probably worked out exactly how they were supposed to, but that didn't stop a tiny germ of an idea from forming in his mind.
When she excused herself a few minutes later to go to the bathroom he made his move, putting the first step of his hastily cobbled together plan into action. A simple tap of his comm and he was connected to his brother.
"Oh, hey John, shouldn't you be doing something anniversary related by now?"
"Yes, I should, which is where you come in. I'm gonna need to borrow your ride…"
-x-
"Seriously? Do you guys think this is funny?" Selene grumbled, glaring up through the glass of the gravity ring as she struggled into the skintight spacesuit that Brains had designed for her and that she hardly ever wore if she could help it. The fact that he was making her get into it now when really she'd rather be taking clothes off, it was their anniversary after all, was not one that she appreciated. "I must have done something seriously bad in a past life if you're going to dump this crap on us now."
She yanked at the arm of the suit, as always feeling too tight, like she was an overstuffed sausage in its skin. It sucked, it truly sucked. There was nothing sexy or romantic about this look, she thought as she checked out her reflection in the class.
"Great, just the most perfect way to round off our anniversary, looking like crap in something I can barely sit down in," she continued to bitch under her breath as she ran a brush through her hair and quickly braided it.
"Are you sure I have to come?" she yelled over her shoulder to John who was in the middle of giving EOS her orders for the next few hours.
"Well, you don't have to, but you did say that it didn't matter where we spent our anniversary as long as we were together," he reminded her, trying hard not to laugh at the grumpy look on her face. He knew he was pushing his luck but he hoped that she would forgive him soon enough. "If there was any other option I'd take it, but Alan has exceeded his flight hours for this week and no one else can do it."
"Fine, I'll come, but do I have to wear this?"
"You know you can't go in Three without a spacesuit, if something were to happen and we had to leave the ship you'd never survive without it."
"Fine, spacesuit it is since dying would really fuck up this anniversary," she muttered, sitting down on his bunk to yank on her boots. She hated the boots almost as much as she hated the suit, they pinched her feet and were too tight to wear with her usual cozy socks. Sure, she knew that it was mostly her fault because she hardly ever wore them and hadn't broken them in but that wasn't the point and she was in the mood to grumble.
"Yes, let's try to avoid that, shall we?" John chuckled. "Do you need a hand with your suit? Alan will be here in a few minutes and time is a factor."
"No, I'm good," she called back, zipping up her boots and securing the flaps that made them airtight.
She was trying really hard not to be grumpy, but she felt like she was failing. As much as she understood that the disruption of their plans couldn't be helped, as much as she had tried hard to stay cheerful all day and not allow John to feel like it was in any way his fault, she couldn't help feeling a little bit pissed off that what remained of their evening wasn't going to be spent in peaceful contemplation of the heavens from a blanket nest in the gravity ring. All she wanted was to spend a couple of hours alone with her husband and now they were having to jet off into space going gods knew where to drop off and help repair a damaged solar panel on the Hermes news satellite, manned twenty-four hours a day by a small three man crew that apparently knew all about broadcasting but nothing about space engineering.
"Alan's here, a minute ahead of schedule too, he's getting better," John called from the gravity ring, his voice already fading as he headed towards Three's dock to meet his brother.
I guess he's right, I've been preaching to him that as long as we're together that's all that matters, and now I'm being bitchy about it, she thought, giving herself and inner pep talk. It won't be so bad, at least we'll be alone on the journey.
Suitably kicked up the ass she retrieved her helmet from the locker and followed after him, determined to be a good, cheerful wife for him.
"Hey, Sel," Alan greeted as she approached.
"Hi, Baby Bean, you good?" she answered, ignoring the eye roll that accompanied her use of the nickname.
"Yeah, I'm just sorry about all this, if I could go myself I would," he said, his face twisting into an apologetic wince.
"It's fine, babe, at least you can stay here and keep an eye on things, that means I get to gallivant around the galaxy with your brother rather than being on my lonesome."
"At least you'll see some different stars for once," Alan said with a grin. "Plus you finally get to ride in the coolest Thunderbird, don't listen to Virgil, his is boring compared to mine."
"I'm probably gonna scream the entire time, you know that, right?"
"No, you won't," John assured her, butting into the conversation, "I'm driving so you'll be fine."
"Hey! Harsh, bro!"
"He didn't mean it that way, Allie."
"Yes, I di- ow! Such violence on our anniversary!"
"Are you two doing some kind of weird flirting again? Because I think I'm still too young to see that."
"Alan, you're twenty years old, I hardly think a little flirting is going to corrupt you now," John deadpanned. "We could do much worse than flirting, there could be kissing involved."
"Urgh, I see enough of that already, take my bird and go, just don't do anything weird in her, because I'll know, and I won't be happy about it."
"I promise nothing weird will happen in your ship, we're on a mission, remember?" Selene reminded him, pulling him in for a hug, just because he was still so adorable even though he had grown far too big now to still be considered her baby.
"Yeah, yeah, so you say," he grumbled for appearances sake, but he returned her hug, along with the wink that John threw him over her shoulder.
Selene didn't know what she had expected the inside of Thunderbird Three to be like, it wasn't like she hadn't seen it on the comm screens during missions, but she'd never had a reason to actually be in there. As much as everyone said they thought of her as part of International Rescue, she knew she wasn't, not in the same way they were. She wasn't a hot shot pilot, a super smart engineer, a water baby or a hacker genius, she was just a normal person who possessed very little in the way of useful skills. She wasn't cross trained like they were, hell she was barely trained at all. She'd been in One and Two more than any other ship, not including Five of course, had been in Four only twice and shadow once, Three was the last one on her list and it had taken her four years to get there.
"So, what do you think?"John asked casually, although she knew that he did actually care about her answer.
"It's nice," she answered vaguely, settling back in the co-pilot's seat which was surprisingly comfy given that it was essentially one of their lounge seats and something she often curled up in.
"Nicer than mine?"
She smiled evilly, knowing he'd be watching her now that he'd set their course and engaged the auto pilot. He wasn't buying into her ploy and simply raised an eyebrow.
"Nothing is nicer than yours," she promised him, giving in gracefully. "This is a flashy bit of kit, but it's not home."
"So now my craft is boring and homely?" he teased, but she knew he didn't mean it.
"Never!"
"Good, or I might have decided to eat this by myself."
"Eat what?" she asked, did the rocket have some kind of vending machine? And if not, why not, because that would be something that Alan would love.
"This," he declared dramatically, flipping a button on the console beside him. A small drawer slid open, revealing a couple of takeout cartons. He picked one out and handed it to her, along with a wooden fork.
"We get chinese? Nice." She took the carton with a nod of thanks and opened it up. "Wow, it's still hot."
"Warming drawer, used for heating up meal packages for long journeys but also good for keeping food hot. Scott stopped at that buffet on the mainland and made up boxes for everyone so if it's not right take it up with him." John opened up his own carton and inspected the contents with a suspicious eye. "It looks alright."
"Tastes fine to me," Selene mumbled around a mouthful, hurriedly chewing and swallowing before she continued. "I didn't realise I was even hungry until you brought it out, now I'm starving."
"And now you know how I feel most days and why it's completely unfair that you are constantly nagging at me because I've not eaten," John said, twirling his fork into his noodles to pick up a decent sized bite.
"I don't nag," she protested, ignoring his disbelieving snort. "I frequently convey my concern for your wellbeing."
"Oh, is that what it is? Sorry I didn't realise that," he answered mildly but ruined the effect by teaming it up with a sarcastic roll of his eyes.
"Husband are you throwing shade on our anniversary?"
"Never, darling."
His tone was so serious but with such an obvious side of humouring her that she couldn't help but laugh. "You're a dick, but I love you anyway."
"Good, now eat your food, we've got at least another hour before we reach our destination, we might as well make the most of it."
Selene lifted one eyebrow in interest. "I can think of a few ways that we could waste an hour." The second eyebrow joined the first and did a little wiggling dance, converting without words exactly what she was thinking about.
"No, I promised Alan that nothing gross would happen in his ship, besides, these chairs don't recline like the one in my elevator."
"Fine," she sighed, a ridiculous little pout forming. "Then I guess we have no other option, we'll have to have a conversation."
"Say it ain't so," he teased, munching on a spring roll he had unearthed from the carton.
"Yep, and it's gonna be a long one."
-x-
"So that's why they were staring at me? Because of your book?"
"Yep, although you'll be pleased to know that I assured them many times that you are far more manly and perfect than any man in any book."
"I should hope so," John chuckled as he finished his bottle of water, tossing it into the recycling chute along with their empty takeout containers. "I have a reputation you know and it does not always precede me, so I do rely on you helping now and then."
"I know, and I always try my best, not that you need my help."
"Oh you know I do, if you hadn't taken pity on me and asked me out I'd still be a loner hiding out in space."
"Babe, you are still a loner hiding out in space."
"Yes, but now I have a gorgeous wife to hide out with."
"Flatterer."
"Just telling the truth," he grinned. "Your presence makes hiding away so much more enjoyable."
"Yet you still won't let me tempt you into doing gross things on our anniversary."
"I made a promise…" he protested weakly, but didn't try too hard to stop her when her hand dropped onto his knee and her fingers started wandering a little path up his thigh.
"How safe is it to leave my seat?"
"Safe enough."
She didn't give him a chance to say anything else. Having pushed aside the shoulder restraints and grabbed hold of his seat she dragged herself over onto his lap without wasting a second.
"I really have to protest," he began, pausing to help her settle herself on his lap, a leg either side of his hips. "If we continue doing any of the things that you seem to have in mind it would entail getting you out of your suit and that would be unwise."
"How dare you insinuate that I have smutty intentions when all I wish to do is kiss my husband." She wiggled a little to get comfortable, ignoring his choked whimper as she moved.
"It always starts with a kiss but it never ends there," he reminded her, his hands settling on her hips, holding her in place.
"It doesn't have to, I only want a few," she wheedled, tempting him further by fluttering her lips along his jaw.
"You're such a troublemaker," he mock scolded, allowing his hands to slide down to rest on her rounded behind, using his grip to pull her in tighter as his lips found hers.
"Yet you're not stopping me," she whispered against his lips.
"I'm always powerless to stop you doing anything you want," he whispered back, feathering his lips over hers, drawing a soft moan from her throat.
"Would it really be so bad if I just took the suit off for a few minutes?" she groaned, her head listing to the side as his mouth made contact with the sensitive spot below her ear.
"Yes, we could die."
"At least we'd go out happy."
"That's not the point," he started to argue, but a chime on the console made him pause. "Saved by the bell." His fingers flexed on her behind, giving it a little squeeze as he dropped a farewell kiss on her lips. "Kindly remove your lucious self from my lap, I have to make sure we actually get where we're going."
"Everything is conspiring against us tonight," she huffed but she did as she was told, sliding back over into her own seat and pulling the shoulder restraints back into place.
"It'll only be a few hours, then we can let Alan go home and have the night to ourselves," John promised her as he took control of the ship again now the auto-pilot had disengaged.
She knew that her man was crazy good at everything he did, she'd seen him fly the private jets and Thunderbird One, as well as remote piloting almost all of the other crafts, but it still amazed her every time she actually saw him sit down behind the controls and effortlessly fly whatever they were in as easily as others drove a go cart.
Thunderbird Three seemed like a different beast entirely, bigger, faster, a literal rocket, yet he made it seem like he was doing nothing more taxing than buttering bread. Scott in Thunderbird One was a maniac, he'd scared the shit out of her on more than one occasion (she suspected just for shits and giggles) so to say she was a little nervous of getting in the rocket was an understatement. But, as always, she was perfectly comfortable and calm as long as John was beside her. They were zooming fast but without the gravity of earth it didn't feel that way, more like they were hardly moving at all. That and she trusted him to keep her safe no matter what.
The fact that he looked damn fine while flying, his face one of concentration as he did so, was just a sweet bonus. It was strange but, as much as she knew that he was an astronaut first and foremost and that he spent so much time in space, she had never really gotten to see him in action, to see him out in the field so to speak. For someone like her space was still something that held such wonder. It was somewhere that she had never expected she would even get to go once, let alone start treating it like it was an everyday thing. But now, watching him controlling the big spaceship, she knew that he was completely in his element, just as much as Scott was in the air or Gordon in the water. He looked relaxed, peaceful and she knew that it was something she wanted to see more of.
The fact that their anniversary plans had been ruined paled in comparison to seeing him like this, something she probably wouldn't have gotten the chance to see otherwise, and for that she was actually grateful to whatever fate had decided they weren't to get their night off after all.
"I know," she assured him, "It's fine, it is what it is, besides, it's not like we won't have a good view."
"Talking of a good view, we're nearly there."
"We are?" She swivelled her head from side to side, her eyes scanning the sky outside the cockpit windows. "I don't see any satellites."
"About that," John started, not looking her way but instead at his instruments. "We may have misled you, just a little."
"Excuse me? You did what?"
"Look over there," he instructed, ignoring her disgruntled question in favour of nodding his head towards her side window as he maneuvered the craft smoothly in that direction.
"What am I looking for?" she asked, confused as to what was going on. He didn't answer, just let the realisation of their destination dawn on her as it came into sight.
"Is that?" she couldn't even say it, it was just so unbelievable.
"The moon? Yep."
She didn't respond to his words, her focus locked on the stunning sight in front of them. She'd seen pictures of it, had gazed through his telescope, had even been sent a selfie of Alan and Scott being idiots on it, but it had always seemed so unobtainable to her, something abstract, almost like it was a myth. Yet there it was, right in front of them, larger than life, solid looking and just so incredibly beautiful.
"Hey," he called softly, placing a gentle hand on hers and squeezing until she tore her eyes away from the window and looked at him. "Want to go for a walk?"
"Out there?" Her eyes widened in disbelief. "Walk on the moon?"
"Well, you're all dressed up with nowhere to go," he said, unable to help the smile that formed in response to her own.
"Seriously?"
"Seriously," he promised her. "It's like you said earlier, most men will promise their wives the world, I promised you the universe and this is your favourite part of it. I'm just sorry it took me so long to bring you here, I should have realised that you'd never actually ask me to come."
She glanced back at the moon and he could see the indecision on her face. He knew that the moon was a sacred thing to her, a representation of her goddess, a spiritual place not a tourist trap like others might see it. Now that they were there he wondered if he had done the wrong thing by bringing her, the wrong thing by suggesting they walk on it. Would she think that was disrespectful or like he was making light of the enormity of it for her?
"I'd love to go for a walk with you," she finally said, breaking the silence, although she rushed to explain when she caught sight of the relief on his face. "It's not that I didn't want to, it's just a scary thought."
"Why scary?" he had to ask, not fully understanding. He knew that she was often nervous in new situations or with new experiences, but surely she knew that he wouldn't let anything happen to her?
"It just is," she said with a shrug, unable to really form it into words, not and retain any of her dignity. It wasn't that she didn't trust Brains or his designs, she put her life in his hands every time she used the space elevator or got in a ship with one of the boys, but this would be the first time she'd actually put her suit to the test outside of Five. She knew, logically, that it would be fine, it was made to the same high standards as any of the boys uniforms and she never doubted that they were safe enough, but this was different somehow. This was like entering a different and very deadly world, if one tiny thing went wrong, if she hadn't put the suit on right, if she had messed up in even the smallest way she would be fucked and not in the fun way she had been hoping for that night.
John nodded, understanding. He couldn't ever explain to her why crowds made him uncomfortable or why social situations left him so anxious he wanted to run away yet she never demanded he try, she simply accepted that those were his feelings, no matter how much they might not make sense to her, and treated him accordingly, with support and love. He'd do the same for her.
"We aren't on a timeframe, we'll go out whenever you're ready."
She nodded, grateful that he understood the things she wasn't saying. Grateful that he wasn't judging her or trying to make her feel bad because she wasn't jumping at the opportunity like most other people would. That, she knew, was part of why they worked, why he was so different to her ex. They didn't push each other, they supported until the other felt comfortable and safe enough to step out of their comfort zone under their own steam.
"I'm just going to land, OK? That's all, there's no pressure."
She nodded again, bracing herself for the landing, expecting it to be a bumpy ride. She should have known better since it was her husband at the controls.
As soon as they touched down and he'd secured them in place he lifted up his shoulder restraints and held out his hand in offer. She quickly did the same, allowing him to tug her onto his lap and into his arms once again.
"Thank you for bringing me here," she whispered, dropping her head down onto his shoulder and nuzzling her nose into his neck, needing to breathe in that unique and completely addictive scent that was all him.
"I know this isn't what we planned and it doesn;t make up for our night being ruined but I-" She silenced him with a kiss, stopping his explanation dead in its tracks.
"It's perfect, more than perfect. It's so us. Life is gonna throw us curve balls, but we'll deal with them as we always do, together. It's been a hell of a year but I wouldn't want to do any of it with anyone else but you. Besides, who else can give me the stars and the moon?"
"Scott?" he joked, pulling her closer, relieved that she was happy with his little detor trickery.
"No," she huffed, settling deeper into his embrace, her fingers tracing little patterns on his chest as she looked out of the windows again, this time out over the surface of the moon. She could see everything, every dip, every crater, the dusty surface, the way the glow from their lights cast shadows over the whole scene. It was gorgeous, eerily beautiful and just completely, overwhelmingly unbelievable.
"I never expected to ever see it like this, up close and personal, you know? Space was for the privileged people, not everyday ones like me. I may have been psychic to the rich and famous, but I wasn't one of them. As much as my head has always been in the clouds, I'm very much a down to earth girl. I knew my place in the world and I was fine with that, I never missed what I didn't have. But then you came along, my gorgeous Spaceman that smelt like the stars and radiated all that was good in the world and suddenly I couldn't imagine my life without you in it. That's the point, I don't care where I am or what I'm doing, as long as I have you beside me."
"Good, because you aren't getting rid of me, I intend to stay right here beside my wife."
She smiled, stealing another soft kiss just because his lips were there and they looked so inviting. "Good, because I wasn't about to let you go."
And that there was the thing that had been weighing on his mind all day. It wasn't that he'd ever honestly thought that she'd ever want to leave him, that she'd take their kids and move out like he'd seen happen to so many of his colleagues, mostly due to their neglect and thoughtlessness, it was more a doubt of himself. He might be more comfortable with her than he'd been with anyone else but that didn't mean he was entirely comfortable with himself. Deep down in the back of his mind he knew that he still saw himself as the person that had always failed at relationships, failed at opening up and interacting with people, and had failed to be a normal boyfriend. Yet here he was trying to be a normal husband.
But that, he realised now, was what she had been trying to tell him with her words and actions all day, he wasn't a normal husband, they weren't a normal couple. And it wasn't a bad thing. It only had to be negative if he made it that way.
Sure their plans had been messed up, but he'd pulled it out of the bag. By knowing her as he did, by being a loving husband that paid attention to his wife, he'd known how to fix it, to make the best of the situation. He just needed to trust himself a bit more. To trust that he'd always do his best to make things work between them, just as she did. Her comment about the fact they had made plans counted more hadn't made sense at the time but now he understood it. It was the thought behind them that counted, the fact that they cared enough about each other to try to arrange something. He'd never forget an anniversary, he'd never not make plans for her birthday, he'd never forget the important things because he cared enough to make sure that he wouldn't. The reason other people's marriages failed wasn't lack of time together, it was lack of effort and he was determined that wouldn't happen.
He thought back almost six months to their conversation at Spring Equinox, to the decision they had made, the promises they had made to each other. They had promised to do everything together, to keep talking, keep sharing and keep being open and honest. They had put each other's minds at ease because of their willingness to listen, to understand. And then, a month ago when they had revisited the conversation, they had made the joint decision that she shouldn't renew her prescription, they had made the choice together.
He cuddled her closer against his chest, idly wondering what she was thinking but no longer worrying about it. They would be fine, they would continue to love each other, continue to care and to support because that was who they were. And when they added a child to the equation they would continue to do exactly the same as they were now. Because they worked. He worked as a husband and he would work as a father too.
He looked first at his wife, her eyes full of wonder and her face radiating happiness, then out at the moon itself. He'd done that, he'd put that look on her face, he'd done good. A swell of pride inflated in his chest at the knowledge. He'd give her the galaxy, the universe and every drop of love in his heart and when he held their child in his arms he'd do the same for them. Besides, how many dads could bring their child to the moon for something as mundane as a school project? Not many. The knowledge, the certainty that he felt warmed him and he gave her an appreciative little squeeze, just because he could.
It was time to get his wife to step outside her comfort zone, just as she did for him. He wouldn't let her down, he wouldn't let her fall, he'd be by her side.
John nodded towards their helmets, sitting side by side on the console. "Ready to go for our wander and pick out a nice moon rock?" He lifted one eyebrow questioningly.
She slid off his lap and grabbed her helmet.
"I'm ready, as long as I get to name the rock."