Don shook his head at the younger agent's antics, but felt the familiar warm glow in his chest when he saw them together. He held out his own hand to Eleanor, smiling when she raised an eyebrow in amusement.
"And they say chivalry is dead!" Eleanor remarked sarcastically.
"It might be dead in the UK, but it's very much alive in the US," Don teased, laughing when she rolled her eyes at him.
"You're only chivalrous because you want one thing!" she retorted.
"Yes, and your problem is?" Don smirked as she burst into laughter.
Hannah looked back when she heard Eleanor laugh, pleased and worried at the same time.
Colby smirked but refrained from saying anything when he saw the worry in Hannah's eyes. He hugged her and murmured, "It'll be alright."
She smiled but didn't reply.
They strolled out of the St. Paul's station on the Central line towards the Cathedral. Eleanor sighed softly, "It's a shame so much of it is covered up. They're restoring it for the 300th anniversary in October 2008."
She brought them around to the statue of Queen Anne, "The original that was made by Francis Bird in 1712 was replaced by this replica made by Richard Belt in 1886, apparently because it was dilapidated. The ladies around the base represent England, France, Ireland and North America, as at that time Anne considered herself to be queen of them all."
They filed quietly into the church and settled into a pew. Hannah leaned her head against Colby's shoulder, and closed her eyes to let the peace and tranquility of the church soak in.
"Alright?" Colby murmured into her ear.
"Mmm, yes. I love this tranquility," she replied softly. "It's beautiful, isn't it."
He nodded in response. Colby knew he didn't have the eye for art that Hannah had, but even he was awed by the beauty of the church.
"Christopher Wren had intended to decorate the inside of the dome with mosaic, but the Cathedral Commissioners appointed James Thornhill to paint it because mosiac was too expensive and time-consuming. Then in the later half of the 19th century, mosaics were eventually installed in the spandrels. Those traingular spaces between the arches and the curve of the dome. Then the mosaics at the east end of the cathedral and in the four corner arches of the dome were commissioned. They really add to the beauty of the place, don't they?" Hannah's tone was reverent.
Colby smiled at her fascination, "This is probably all you'll come for, isn't it? You're really not interested in climbing up to all the galleries, and you're certainly not going down to the crypt without me."
Hannah grimaced at the mention of the crypt. "I'm not sure why I'm so spooked, just by talking about it," she shuddered. "And I don't think I could make it past the Whispering Gallery anyway, even with your help. That's a 100 feet up, 259 steps. 530 steps for the 280 feet to the Golden Gallery. More than I'd really want to mess with."
"It's a marvel of engineering," Eleanor murmured. "Wren supposedly said that he built for eternity. Whether he said it or not, 300 years proves he certainly knew a thing or two."
Then the Preces of the Evensong service began and all four of them followed the service reverently, despite the fact that they weren't all of the Anglican faith.
-----
The tranquility of the church and the solemnity of the services seemed to ease their souls, Eleanor thought to herself as they walked quietly out of the church. She smiled when she felt Don place a hand at the small of her back, and leaned contentedly against him. As usual, Colby already had his arms around Hannah, as they talked quietly to each other. She wondered what they were saying to each other, it occasionally looked like serious discussions and this was one of those times.
"I've always wondered what Colby's gone through to build a facade like his," Don murmured to Eleanor.
"You have one."
"Yes, but that's from years in the FBI," was Don's quiet response. "He's just been with the FBI a little over a year. The facade's there for a reason."
"Yet it all comes down for Hannah," Eleanor mused. "Because he trusts her?"
Don was quiet as he turned it over in his mind. "That must be it," he said slowly.
"Do you trust anyone enough to let your facade down?" Eleanor asked curiously.
He looked at her, as he struggled for an answer, "I haven't been able to."
Eleanor nodded, she had thought as much.
"How about Chinatown for dinner?" Hannah's soft question interrupted them, her eyes dancing with mischief.
Don glanced at Colby and raised his eyebrows. Those eyebrows dropped into a frown when Colby shrugged.
Eleanor eyed Hannah suspiciously, "Why the sudden desire to go to Chinatown?"
Hannah smiled serenely, "Just wanted to go into one of the shops."
Colby rolled his eyes, "Those tacky souvenir shops? You can get the same stuff in LA's Chinatown."
Then Don watched in fascination as Colby caved when Hannah pouted and leaned into his arms. "Man, you are so done for!"
Eleanor laughed at the disconcerted expression on Colby's face, "Alright, Chinatown it is. And you're going to tell me why, Hannah!" She was delighted by the mischievous grin that Hannah gave her from over Colby's shoulder.
"You are going to have to say no to her sometime, Colby," Don was ribbing him as they walked out of the underground station at Leicester Square.
"Just how exactly am I supposed to do that?" Colby demanded, disgruntled that he was the butt of their amusement.
Don shrugged. He didn't know, but he was having a good time laughing at the younger man's discomfort. He watched with amusement as the two women darted into a particularly gaudy and tacky souvenir shop.
Colby took up a position at the doorway, and Don moved to the other side of the window where he could just see where the women were. He couldn't quite see what they were buying but he could see that there wasn't anyone in the store who might pose a threat to Eleanor.
Both women were giggling as they came out of the store, and Eleanor directed them to a restaurant for dinner. Neither were willing to say anything about what they'd purchased, even when pressed for details. The men exchanged glances, which made the women burst into giggles all over again.
----
"Just what exactly did you buy in Chinatown, Hannah?" Colby demanded when they were alone in their own flat.
Hannah giggled, "I didn't buy anything. Eleanor did."
Colby groaned, then made a grab for her. He pinned her to the wall, "What'd she buy?"
"You're going to make me tell?" Hannah purred, "What are you going to do? Spank me?"
"If that's what it takes," Colby's eyes were darkening with desire. He lowered his head and captured her lips with his own. Then he jerked up when he heard a thud from Don's flat.
Hannah burst into giggles again when he narrowed his eyes at her. "She bought a few silk scarves," she said as she struggled to keep a straight face.
Colby rolled his eyes then burst into laughter.
----
Don looked up at Eleanor in amusement. She'd pushed him over and was now straddling him. "You realize that Colby and Hannah probably heard that crash, don't you?"
Eleanor grinned, "Oh, I think Hannah knew what was going to happen."
He raised his eyebrows.
She laughed, "Hannah dragged me into the souvenir store to get these." She giggled at the surprise on his face as she tied one of his wrists to the leg of the armchair with a silk scarf.
Don grinned as he let her tie the other wrist down. "If you really wanted to do all the work, all you had to do was say so."
"You tortured me the other night, making me wait," Eleanor murmured with a gleam in her eye as she slid off him.
"Ah. Yes, I did, didn't I?" Don wondered if he'd made a mistake letting her tie his wrists down.
"Well, I thought you'd like a taste of your own medicine," she purred as she ran her hands around his behind, still tightly encased in his jeans.
He groaned as her hands explored him, paying special attention to his groin.
She purred a laugh when she felt his response. "Mmm, yes, you're glad to see me, aren't you?" She unsnapped his jeans and pulled them off. His briefs weren't far behind. Slowly, she undressed, enjoying his appreciation as each item of clothing slid off her body. She straddled him again, rubbing her bare crotch against his as she unbuttoned his shirt and ran her hands over his muscular chest.
"What now?" he groaned in frustration as she slid off him again.
She smiled, and slid yet another scarf around the base of his erection, tying a half knot around it. She looped it over again, and tied this knot a little tighter.
"What does that do?" Don was curious now.
"Prolongs the erection," Eleanor burst into giggles. "According to Hannah."
"Good grief! Seems like they're always having sex, and she still needs to prolong his erection?" Don was ready to rip out of the scarves, he was aching so badly for relief. Then he stopped thinking when Eleanor slid her hand around his erection and gently squeezed as she pulled her hand up. He struggled for control when she did that a few times.
"Mmm.." she murmured softly, then lowered herself onto him. Moving slowly to accustom herself to the size of him, she began to ride up and down on him. She felt him push up as she rode down and heard a soft guttural moan. A split second later, she realized it had come from her, and that she was still moaning. Then as the pleasure built, she rode harder and faster. She cried out with the pleasure when he squeezed her nipples. She hadn't even noticed when he'd pulled the scarves loose.
Before she realized what he was doing, he turned her onto her back. His need had taken over and his thrusts were hard and demanding. She screamed, as the climax ripped through her suddenly, and he groaned as he reached his own climax.
"Damn," Don sighed, as he rolled over and pulled Eleanor so she was draped more comfortably over him. "Maybe you should find out more from Hannah."