Hello hello and good evening to all. The angst of last chapter was brutal but here we are again with our dear emotional train-wreck. Thank you to all who have stuck with me this far and I hope you enjoy this weeks chapter. As always, I will see you at the end -J


Chapter 24: Solutions

She couldn't say she 'woke up', waking up implied that she'd been asleep. No, this was more akin to breaking the surface after almost drowning.

Jolting upright with a gasp, it took her a good minute to recall where she was. A windowless, bare brick room, with several foldable cots stacked up against the walls. It was dim, the only source of light being a lamp on the floor beside the only assembled bed in the room; hers. There were two doors, one heavy iron-looking thing with a hatch near the middle, currently open, and the other plain wood, presumably leading to a bathroom. She was tucked in to scratchy sheets, which at least smelt recently washed, though that was probably a bit pointless, considering she seemed to have gotten paint all over them... Oh.

It all came back, slowly, dim images of smashed wood and shredded canvas. Of Roxy... She hoped the girl wasn't too hurt.

She also hoped no-one had kept any work they'd been particularly proud of in that room...

With a heavy sigh, she let her head fall forward into her hands, but trying to push them through her hair proved a little more than pointless. Wincing at the matted and crumbling mess, she decided now was as good a time as any to find out if the other door really was a bathroom. Thankfully, it was. It was only equipped with a sink and a toilet, but the small mirror above the former went a long way to showing her exactly how much of a mess she looked.

Her face was a splattered mess of pinks, yellows and blues, obvious trails cutting through the cracked and crumbling swirl where she had clearly been crying in her sleep.

Her stomach jolted painfully and she gripped the edge of the sink as she near doubled over at the force of it.

Kelly...

She grit her teeth as he eyes began to burn once more and growled, turning the tap on to furiously scrub at her face. It hurt, a sharp, familiar, sting at her lip and a dull throb at her cheekbone as she watched the mass of colour swirl away down the drain. Having made a start, her fury turned to her hands, which burned angrily in the ice cold water. As the paint slowly drained away, she could see why. Her knuckles were split and now freshly bleeding, her palms were cut and raw. Knicks and scratches trailed up her arms where she'd obviously been caught by the shrapnel of her own aggression. Ultimately, it could have all been much worse, but it didn't look great.

She finished washing up, as best she could, and ruffled her hair with a towel she found hanging beside the sink. She was probably getting paint all over it, given how terrible a job she'd likely just done of washing it off, but she didn't much care as she headed back out into the main room. The bed was in a state, and a quick search of the room revealed no spare sheets, but just as she was debating what to do, a distant sound caught her attention. Footsteps? Turning toward the other door, which she now realised she hadn't even checked, she listened for a long moment. Definitely footsteps... They became more familiar as they drew closer. Camilla.

There was a jangle of keys and a lock sliding open before the door swung inwards, revealing the woman with a large box and a sad smile.
"Ah, good morning, girly." Her tone was subdued, but not unfriendly, Soph managed a weak half smile.
"Hey..." She trailed off, her hand lifting to cover the back of her neck awkwardly.

"No use crying over spilt milk, my dear." Her aunt shook her head and moved further into the room, setting the box down beside the bed.

This box, as it turned out, contained clean sheets and clothes, some food, a few bottles of water and medical supplies. She was made to change into a pair of joggers and a comfortable shirt while her aunt changed her sheets, then she was forced to sit as the woman treated and dressed her multitude of injuries. She didn't complain, or argue, simply sat there staring at the floor as Camilla remained uncharacteristically quiet.

Eventually, she had to ask.

"How's Roxy?" Her voice came out quiet, she supposed she was half hoping the woman wouldn't answer.
"She's fine. A black eye and a bruised ego, but she'll live." She reported, her tone calm and light, Soph sagged in relief.
"I'd say you're about even." Camilla offered a smirk and Soph managed a weak chuckle, she did, indeed, have a hell of a black eye herself, along with a cut across her lip. Her memory of the incident was questionable at best, but she was pretty sure the one on her lip was actually a shard of flying glass. Her bruised cheekbone and eye, however, were definitely the blonde.
"Tell her I'm sorry anyway?" She addressed her socks once more but saw Camilla nod in the corner of her eye.
"Oh and er... Sorry to you too, for the damage. I'll pay you back..." She grimaced and the other woman laughed.
"This is St. Trinian's, my dear girl, damages come with the territory." She tied a knot in the bandage and patted her hand.
"We'll let you out of here soon, just for now, we would like to keep further damage to a minimum." She explained gently and Soph nodded. She understood that.
"Should I be worried that you seem to have a prison in your basement?" She tried for a joke, and the woman chuckled.
"It's a bomb shelter, girly. Not often used these days, but it does come in handy." They shared a weak smile and the woman threw and arm around her shoulders.
"It'll be okay."

Soph wished she could believe her.

Her aunt brought her a few things to make life a little more bearable in her temporary home. Clean clothes, books, soap and a toothbrush were high on her list and went a long way to making her feel more human, and less like a caged animal. The woman refused to bring her phone down, but allowed her a clock. Strangely, knowing the time went a long way to maintaining her tenuous sanity, it allowed her to mark the passage of hours and work out exactly how long she remained down there. More lights were brought in with the intent to make the space less gloomy, but she often didn't turn them on, remaining on her bed, curled in the thin blanket to stare at the pages of her book. She wasn't reading, as much as she tried, she found herself going over the same sentence twenty times without noticing.

No, she simply spent most of her time staring blankly, either lost in thought, or lost in nothing at all. How could she even begin to deal with this? She'd barely started to understand what the woman was to her, how could she figure out what to do now she was gone?

Eventually, she'd have to leave this basement, go back to lessons and finish out the school year. She'd get a job, get a flat, maybe a pet... Live a life.

But what the fuck was she supposed to do with the hollow pain in her chest?

Every time her mind turned to Kelly she felt as though someone had buried a fist in her gut, robbing her of air and thought. Could she handle that every day? Would it fade in time? Did she even want it to?

Anger was familiar, and it was wise that she was kept in the basement where there wasn't much to demolish. She'd wake from a nightmare and rage at the shadows that chased her, throwing cots and empty boxes until she'd exhausted herself. She was furious. Furious at the world for taking her away, furious at herself for doing nothing, furious at Kelly for leaving her. That thought was usually where she'd fall to the floor, sitting in her dark room and letting the burning tears fall. How long before she ran out? Before she could think of her without the air choking her? She hoped it would be soon, and hoped it would never happen. Kelly Jones was a woman worth remembering.

It was a week into her confinement that she was woken in the night by a loud slam. She bolted upright and listened hard, rapid, unfamiliar, footsteps echoed down the hall and a glance to the time told her it was four in the morning. No-one came down here but Camilla, and certainly not at this hour. Leaping to her feet, she moved to stand in an open space, her eyes trained on the door. The steps came to a halt outside and keys jangled loudly, whoever it was obviously fumbling for a moment before finally getting one into the lock. Sophie braced herself, whoever it was would get a shock when they entered. She was not a peaceful person by nature and grief and anger did nothing to change this.

The door swung open and for a moment, time stopped.

The light from the hallway was bright compared to her dim room, so the person in the doorway was, temporarily, nothing but a silhouette, but Soph knew her. Her eyes adjusted and slowly she took in dark hair and pale skin, beautiful brown eyes within a face that had haunted her nightmares, bright and alive. She remained stunned into inactivity, but the other woman had no such problem as she rushed forward. Anyone else might have been wary, cautious when approaching Soph for unexpected contact, but not her. She wound her arms tight around her and pulled her in as close as humanly possible. Soph's mind failed to keep up, she stood for another moment, a statue in the woman's arms, unblinking and unbreathing, until her lungs burned and time forced itself back upon her. She inhaled sharply and her senses were flooded with the familiar scent of Kelly, the feel of her, the warmth... That was when she broke, her hands finding the back of the woman's jacket and gripping tight to pull her ever closer, burying her face into her shoulder with a shuddering breath as her eyes burned.

She was alive. She was here, and she was alive.

She didn't know or care how long they stood like that, but eventually, the grip on her lessened and she pulled back just enough to look up at the woman. She looked tired, exhausted even, her hair was clean, but in obvious need of cutting. The waist her arms now held felt thinner, and the clothes she wore were unfamiliar and ill-fitting. Obviously, there was a very good reason she'd been missing, but Soph wouldn't question her on that now. She was back, and right now, they both needed sleep.

With this in mind, she made to pull back, but the arms about her tightened with unexpected strength and the woman's eyes flashed with something unfamiliar. Panic? Soph frowned and shook her head.
"Come upstairs with me?" She offered a gentle smile as she reached up, slowly and carefully catching the side of her face. Clearly, wherever Kelly had been, her head hadn't quite made it home yet. Slowly, the woman nodded, the arms about her waist lessening their grip until Soph could step away and take her hand.

Gently, and with a patience she'd never had to use before, she led the woman up through the dark school. The familiar path seemed longer than ever as they walked in silence, but the familiar spaces were comforting after a week in the basement and helped to clear her head. When they reached their room, she didn't pause, pushing inside without a second thought. She hadn't been in here since her meltdown, but, fortunately, she was compulsively tidy in her state of denial and had kept the place in good order before her little vacation. It was cold inside, having stood empty, but the familiar surroundings were comfort enough as she carefully led Kelly in and sat her on the edge of the bed.

The woman still said nothing, staring almost blankly as Soph retrieved some sleepwear for her. She was aware enough to get changed with minimal prompting, but that didn't really assuage Sophie's worry as she moved around the room, shutting the curtains and plugging in her phone. Kelly climbed into bed and Soph soon followed, turning off the light before hesitating, unsure, on her side of the bed.

Jones didn't have the same hesitation, she reached out and pulled her close, arms unyielding as anacondas around her and leaving not a bare inch between them. Soph's chest ached with an unfamiliar emotion as she shifted herself until the woman was laying against her shoulder, wrapping her arms tight around her. Kelly hummed and reorganised herself a little, but within moments, she was asleep.

Soph swallowed hard against the worry rising in her. Where had she been? Clearly, she'd rushed back the moment she could, but she'd yet to speak a word, obviously exhausted and almost on autopilot as they'd moved through the school. Now, even in sleep, she clung to her side with a grip that would normally make her a little uncomfortable. She gently smoothed a hand over the woman's hair, leaning down to press a kiss to her head. That strange emotion rose again, threatening to suffocate her as she held her. Protective? That was the closest word she could find. This woman who was so unshakeable, unflappable in the face of grand larceny, guns, and St. Trinian's students, now clung to her as a point of safety and comfort. Soph's eyes burned and she hugged her tighter to herself.

Damn if she wouldn't keep her safe while she slept.

She woke first, unsurprisingly, and found they were still tangled together, though in a less fierce grip. Kelly lay on her arm, which was almost completely dead, but she couldn't bring herself to pull it free; it didn't hurt at this point, so she'd deal with that later. Instead she took the time to look over the other woman; her assessment last night had been kind of hurried. Even in sleep, she looked tired, deep circles about her eyes, and her face looked a little gaunt, paler than usual. Her other hand lay on the woman's ribs, and she could feel them under her hand. Kelly was always in good shape, more so than ever with the 'secret agent training' she'd received, but the curves she took great joy in flaunting in tight pencil skirts and high waisted jeans seemed lesser than she'd last seen. Somehow, she got a feeling this change was not a choice. The clothing on her floor was definitely borrowed. Blue jeans a mile too big for her, a white t-shirt and a light grey hoodie were not something Kelly Jones would ever buy for herself. She also appeared to have kicked off a worn pair of trainers that looked more Sophie's size than her own. Again, her mind tried to run off on the possibilities of where she'd been, but she refused to follow it. Kelly could tell her herself if she chose.

It was some time before the other woman stirred. Soph hadn't gone back to sleep, she'd remained awake, idly brushing her thumb over the woman's side as she contemplated the last few months. She'd been in hell, repressing her more unstable side until it shot off like a rocket, demolishing a classroom, then wallowing in self-pity while she mourned her loss. Somehow, she felt Kelly might have had it worse.

She was alerted to the woman's return to consciousness as a hand covered hers, halting the idle movement.
"...Tickles." She grumbled into her shoulder and Soph almost beamed at the sound of her voice, rough and tired as it was.
"Sorry." She managed to contain it to a small smile and looked down as she felt the woman turn to look up at her.
"Hey." She threaded their fingers together and squeezed gently, the quiet word coming out as soft as she could muster.
"Hi." Kelly managed a weak half smile. Her eyes, now far more alert, cast to one side, a flicker of guilt so fast that Soph almost missed it passing through the beautiful depths. Frowning to herself, Sophie leaned down, in absence of free hands, nudging the woman's head with her nose in an attempt to recapture her attention. It took some insistence, but slowly, she looked back to her, and Soph softened her frown to a gentle smile.
"Welcome home." She spoke carefully, deliberately, attempting to make her point as clear as possible. She wasn't mad. She might have been, but it was so obvious that the last few months had been far from her choice that she couldn't even find it in herself to be annoyed any more. Kelly's eyes searched hers for a long moment before the older girl managed a smile.
"It's good to be back." She muttered and Soph grinned, leaning down a little.
"Better be." She snarked and delighted in the way the heavy weight in the woman's eyes lifted just a little as she shifted up to meet her.

It had been months, and it showed. Their lips met cautiously, almost uncertainly, but at the familiar touch, a deep warmth filled her chest, erasing the final vestiges of the hollow cold that had gripped her for so long. Kelly was home. It remained chaste, neither of them about to push for anything more, and when they moved apart, Kelly sighed.
"I missed you." Her eyes were still shut, as though refusing to let go of the moment. Soph pressed a kiss to her forehead. Her back began aching at the awkward angle, and her dead arm would need addressing sooner rather than later, so she shuffled herself around, shifting down to lay beside her and finally taking her arm back. She hissed as blood flow returned with a vengeance; first the sting and ache, followed by full pins and needles as she shook it about. Jones chuckled and Soph cast her a smirk and a shrug. Neither of them had been big on the idea of letting go last night.

Reaching for her phone, she paused at Kelly's questioning look.
"I don't really feel like going down for breakfast today, do you?" She arched a brow and the woman smirked.
"Nope." She shrugged and Soph grinned as she unlocked it, but paused as she found thirty seven missed calls. They were all from the same number, though not one she had saved, nor one she recognised.
"Oh… I might have tried to call a couple of times last night." Jones shifted uncomfortably and Soph shook her head at the ridiculousness of the situation. Pulling up her call record, she turned the phone around.
"Pretty sure I win." She deadpanned as she displayed the hundreds of attempted calls over the last couple of months. She never called anyone else, so her phone really made the situation obvious. One a day would have been vaguely understandable, but there had been times over the months where she'd just dialled over and over. It was pretty bad. Kelly looked a little shamed by the revelation, which had not been the intent, so, firing off a quick text to Camilla, she tossed her phone to one side and quite elegantly tackled the older woman to the bed.

Kelly gave a yelp, but caught her all the same, and Soph repressed a grin as she settled above her, giving a stern frown instead.
"Look, I don't know what happened." She began with a huff, when Jones looked like she was going to interrupt, she shifted her weight to one hand to put a finger to the woman's lips.
"And it was terrible. I thought you were… Probably dead." She bit her tongue hard and cast her gaze away at the echo of pain in her gut, but this was important. Swallowing hard, she turned back to Kelly.
"But, you came back. You promised you would, and you did. So I'm not mad, and you don't need to feel guilty, okay?" She frowned down at her and waited while Kelly stared up at her with soft eyes. Slowly, the woman nodded, and Soph took her hand away, leaning down to replace it with a gentle kiss. When she pulled back, she sighed.
"I'm not saying everything's fine, but… we're fine… Right?" She realised she was very much speaking for herself and winced, only to yelp in surprise as she was yanked back down. Gentle was apparently long gone and Soph was pretty sure she might have actually melted as lips moved against her own. When she was released, she heard her own gasp and honestly couldn't even be embarrassed.
"I missed you, so much," Kelly sighed and Soph's breath caught in her throat under the weight of the words that threatened to jump from her. Now was not the time, the woman had clearly just experienced something pretty dramatic, randomly professing love for a person immediately after that was just wrong.

Instead, she smiled, sitting up.
"You have no idea, you daft woman." She shook her head, and at that moment, someone knocked on the door.
"Ah, breakfast." Jumping to her feet, she moved across the room, quickly pulling on a hoodie before answering. The random first years that had been sent smiled cheerfully and Soph tossed them a fiver each for the trouble before ducking back into the room.
"Toast, and coffee as bitter as my soul?" She kicked the door shut behind her and held up the tray with a grin and Kelly laughed, now sat, cross legged, on the bed.
"It's not so bad." She defended her terrible choice in drink and Soph rolled her eyes as she set down the tray on the bed and dropped down beside her. The mad woman took a drink and sighed happily, Soph shuddered in sympathy with her poor taste buds. Apparently noting her disgust, Kelly grinned a far too mischievous grin.
"You sure you don't want to try some?" She took another drink before holding it out and Soph recoiled from the smell alone.
"Absolutely certain." She grabbed her glass of apple juice and took a pointed sip.
"Leave me to my human drinks, thank you." Setting the glass down to reach for her toast, she was interrupted as a hand seized her by the hoodie and pulled her forward into a... Sinful kiss. Her mind short circuited as she was swept away by the tidal wave that was Kelly Jones. When she was released, she actually fell back, sticking a hand out behind her to keep from straight up falling backwards off of the bed while she rebooted her brain. It had been a good few months, apparently her tolerance for doses of Kelly was back to beginner levels.
"Still think it tastes bad?" Jones' voice eased through her daze and she blinked back into focus to find her nonchalantly sipping her drink, but the innocence didn't touch her eyes. Soph took a moment to realise what she meant before she caught the lingering taste of bitter coffee on her tongue.
"Oh, you dick!" She quickly downed the rest of her own drink to get rid of it, but Kelly's laughter was immutable.

Bloody woman was lucky she loved her.

Breakfast was finished and set aside, and they quickly shifted back to curling around each other under the duvet.
"So… Do you want to talk about it?" Soph was not used to being the emotionally competent one, but Kelly was always there for her, and now really seemed like a time for her to up her game a bit. If the woman needed her, damn it, she'd be there. Jones sighed, and shifted further back against her. Soph's arm lay comfortably across her waist, but she hugged her tighter for a moment as she pressed a kiss to her shoulder.
"You don't have to, but if you do…" She mumbled and the other girl hummed. Silence reigned for a long moment, but eventually, she began.
"The first month and a half was actually just work. They had me go on some deep cover thing that I can't get into, but I wasn't allowed my phone, so that was annoying." She huffed and Soph nodded. That was understandable.
"After that… Well, we were on our way back and something went wrong. Still not really sure what, but the plane went down, crashed." She paused, but seemed to shake off whatever stopped her and continued before Soph managed to freak out too much about that.
"Four of us survived, but we were stuck in the middle of nowhere with very little in the way of supplies… So basically I just spent a few months trying to survive in some very, very cold woods, with three idiots." She sighed heavily and Soph struggled in vain to find words. Eventually, she gave up entirely and simply pulled her closer, pressing her face into the woman's neck. Kelly's hand found hers and squeezed. That sounded shit, honestly terrible… Thank fuck she made it back.
"It wasn't even MI7 that found us. Miss Fritton got Polly to take a look. I'm pretty sure she might have 'borrowed' a few satellites she really shouldn't have, but she figured out where we were and sent the information over to my bosses. They picked us up and took us back to London. That was where I tried calling you, but when you didn't pick up… I panicked a bit…" She started to mumble and Soph had to listen hard to catch what she was saying.
"I don't really know what I thought had happened, but I might have… Slipped out, borrowed a car and driven back without telling anyone…" She hurried through it and Soph did nothing to stop the grin that found her face.
"It was a bit of a blur, pretty sure I broke into Fritton's room and demanded to know where you were… Why, exactly, were you in the bomb shelter? Only time I've ever needed that room was when Janie first arrived and we all thought she was rabid." Her smirk was audible, but her curiosity remained evident. It was Sophie's turn to be embarrassed and she felt the blood rush to her face.
"I er… Went into some denial for a bit, but Roxy pushed me a little hard and I… Trashed the art room." She grumbled the last bit into the woman's shoulder and felt, more than heard, her answering chuckle.
"How bad?" She turned her head toward her and Soph couldn't help herself.
"I'd say we've found something worse than a rogue C4." She smirked and they both burst out laughing.

They were both completely tragic, but god, she'd missed this woman.

They lay comfortably for another moment before a thought occurred to Sophie.
"Hang on, you ran off from MI7 without telling anyone where you were going... and stole a car on your way out?" She sat up and the other woman hummed her affirmative, rolling onto her back to tip her head questioningly.
"Why?" She stretched and Soph was briefly distracted out of her train of thought, but shook her head to clear it as she focused on the important matter at hand.
"Isn't that, like... Deserting, or something"? She frowned and Kelly shrugged.
"Technically, I'm AWOL. But there's a tracker in the car, they know where I am." She sighed, sitting up and reaching out to pull Soph back into her arms. She went willingly, but continued to worry.
"They have your number, so they'll probably call later on to insist I come in to debrief." Her tone remained calm, soothing almost.
"For now, I think they'd agree I've earned some down time." She settled comfortably back against the pillows and Soph paused as she considered the implication of those words.

One: Kelly was still exhausted.
Two: 'Downtime' implied she'd be going back once rested.

Her stomach sank in dread of the second realisation, and she turned to bury her face in the woman's neck.
"You're not quitting then?" She kept her tone quiet, almost hoping she wouldn't hear her. Of course, she did, and the hand that had been smoothing over her back paused.
"It's a dangerous job, I knew this when I took it... Is it a problem?" The trepidation in her voice seeped into Sophie's bones. Was it a problem? Well, yes, kind of. If Kelly was going to go missing off the face of the earth for months at a time without word or warning, Soph's completely ridiculous mind was definitely going to run away from her and make assumptions... and while that was definitely her problem, and not Kelly's fault, it was kind of an issue. Apparently, she'd been silent a little too long as Kelly sighed and long fingers carded gently through her hair.
"Talk me what you're thinking." Her tone was gentle, quiet, but it was not a question. Soph bit her lip a moment, organising her thoughts.
"I don't want to tell you not to go, but..." She bit harder, forcing herself to finish the sentence.
"I don't know how I'd handle this shit again." One day, she might be able to admit things at a volume normal people could hear, fortunately, Kelly was more than used to deciphering her mutterings, and immediately hugged her tighter to herself.
"I can't promise it won't happen again, missions go awry all the time, but that's what I'm training for. It's why they have me paired up with experienced agents and only send me on the 'easier' assignments." Her thumb brushed back and forth over the back of Sophie's neck but she resisted the relaxing sensation to stay focused.
"They make it as safe for me as they can, but shit happens, improvisation is a big part of it... And that's why I love it." She finished and Soph winced at the honesty in her tone. She knew Kelly loved her job, which was why she couldn't ask her not to go... But, for the sake of her own sanity...

Her thoughts were interrupted by her phone vibrating across the bedside table. She still refused to let it ring if it was anyone but Kelly, but at her cousin's insistence, she'd swapped everyone else onto vibrate, so others had a chance of getting in touch with her. Jones made to reach for it, but Soph was up in a flash, seizing the device. The number was blocked, so it was pretty obvious who the hell was calling.
"Soph?" Kelly's voice was cautious, Soph glanced her to her and found mild concern evident in her face before she returned her attention to the phone. It was in this moment, that she made a decision.
"Sophie Daniels." She answered, turning to meet Kelly's gaze with a hard expression.
"Good morning, Miss Daniels, I am calling in search of Kelly Jones, is she there?" A polite female voice answered in very BBC English, Soph remained impassive, watching Kelly's confusion and worry war across her face.
"She's here." She confirmed, but made no offer to hand over the phone. The woman noticed.
"May I speak with her, please?" Her impatience was audible, Soph swallowed hard.
"Are you her boss?" She fought hard to keep her tone from wavering. She was challenging MI7, this was probably incredibly stupid. After a pause, the woman responded once more.
"I am not. I am Director Cavallero's secretary." Her polite tone was fading in the wake of caution and suspicion, Sophie frowned.
"I would like to speak to the Director, please." She raised her chin and Kelly's eyes widened almost imperceptibly.

There was a pause, probably the secretary trying to figure out if she was serious. Moments later however, the voice returned.
"Please hold, I will see if she is available." The line beeped and Soph took the phone from her ear to direct her full attention to Kelly.
"If you're going back, I want to have a word with this boss of yours." She arched a challenging brow, daring her to argue, but the worry in Kelly's face collapsed, the tension falling to reveal a sly smirk. Apparently now completely unconcerned, Jones reclined against the pillows, holding out a hand for Sophie to take. She did, and entwined their fingers while she waited.

Eventually the phone beeped again and a considerably sharper voice came through.
"Miss Daniels, what can I do for you?" Director Cavallero was clearly a busy woman, Soph smirked to herself.
"Thank you for your time, I just have a small request to make, if you've got a minute?" She arched a brow, making no effort to hide the smirk in her tone. The other woman sighed.
"I'm listening." She sounded annoyed, good.
"In light of recent events and the strain it placed upon us both, I would like to request updates regarding Agent Jones at times when she herself cannot communicate with me. Nothing ridiculous, if she's on a job and can't call, that's life, but if she vanishes into the wilderness again and you fail to find her, give me a call, so I can get in touch with more competent parties?" Kelly snorted and threw a hand over her mouth to mask her sniggering. Soph shot her a grin. She hadn't said anything wrong; it was all true, but maybe she could have phrased it better. Still, she didn't pause long enough to let the woman answer.
"You guys might be a super powerful government agency and everything, but St. Trinian's loves Kelly Jones, if you lose her, I don't think you want to know what this school will do. That's not even mentioning me." She kept her tone firm, arrogance rang in every syllable, and she almost felt nostalgic as she settle back against one hand. It had been a while since she'd been an asshole… Intentionally anyway.
"You think I'm afraid of a bunch of school girls?" She scoffed, but Soph didn't so much as pause.
"You should be." It wasn't a threat, it was a promise, and she was sure the woman understood. A long silence sat between them and Soph remained lounging across the bed, waiting patiently.
"Very well, Miss Daniels, I will keep you informed in the event of another incident. Now, I would like to speak with Jones." She grit out and Soph allowed herself an incredibly smug grin.
"Of course." She turned her attention back to Jones and found a far too familiar smirk on her face.
"Love, your boss would like a word." She tipped her head and held out the phone. Kelly took a moment to accept the device, dwelling a little longer in whatever thoughts she was clearly enjoying before she answered.
"Director." Her tone was all business, her 'Head Girl' persona apparently having graduated to 'Agent Jones' at some point. There was something not quite right about it, however. Her typically unshakable 'all business' mask was… frayed around the edges. Something familiar and all together delightful danced in her eyes, which had still yet to leave Soph.
"I'll be there, but after that, I think a few days recovery is in order?" She continued to smirk into the phone and after a very short pause, probably too short for any actual answer on the other end, she hung up. Soph arched a brow.
"Short conversation, was it?" She tipped her head as Jones tossed the phone to one side with a shrug.
"I have to go in later today for debrief, then I have four days to recover. Now, come here." The serious mask shattered and Soph moved forward without her body having the curtesy to consult her brain. In half a beat she was in Kelly's lap, pulled tight to her as their lips met with a vengeance that spoke of far too many months apart and too much stress. She'd dwelled on it a lot over the last week in particular. The last time she'd seen her, spoken to her, kissed her… It hadn't been enough, never would be, but fucking hell if now wasn't a good time to make a start.

Forgotten heat flared in her core and pulsed along her veins. Clothes were thrown without care across the room as hands and lips sought any skin they could find. Soph's breath came hard and heavy as teeth moved over her jaw, down her neck. She buried her hands in Kelly's hair and revelled in the shiver that trailed down her spine.
"I missed you." She barely heard her over her own heartbeat, but she felt the words ghost across her skin and immediately pulled the woman back up to meet her in a bruising kiss.
"I missed you too." She muttered against her lips, her eyes opening to find the woman's gaze, and for a moment, they were still.

Somehow, she got a feeling those where not the three words either of them wanted to say.


They might get around to actually telling each other how they feel one day, you never know. I hope you all enjoyed this week and I hope to see you again next time, thanks for reading - J