An open book
Summary: Richard once told Camille that he was an "open book", that he had no secrets. He probably thought that because he only remembers being alone. And that's not usually interesting to anyone. Except for Camille. And who's to say Camille doesn't feel that way too?
Chapter Text
It's so late...
It's evening and Richard still has Camille glued to his side. He is looking at her until exhaustion gets the better of him and he falls hopelessly asleep. But he doesn't let go.
Camille would like to move, but she cannot. Her years as an undercover agent make her start to open her eyes little by little to find out why she can't move.
And what she sees she likes, likes a lot. Richard is stronger than he looks when he holds her so tightly even while asleep.
Poor Richard!
That's what she thinks. He must be exhausted. And, now that she is staring at him, he must be reminiscing about everything that happened just a few, very few hours before.
Those not too many distant hours before...
"Camille! Since when did we decorate the station with so many flowers?"
Camille, who was busy finishing filling out the case report, also making sure that the data reflected in it matched what she had found out on the Internet, did not know at first what her boss was talking about.
Although she did detect a slightly different tone to the one he usually uses. And without quite knowing why, she couldn't stop her heart from starting to beat faster.
Richard Poole was jealous.
And he was angry.
She, giving herself time to reorganize her thoughts and the answer to that question, finished signing the report, tucked it parsimoniously into the appropriate folder and, raising her gaze showing enormous innocence, replied:
"Oh, you know, Richard! It's Valentine's Day. One of La Kaz's clients has been kind enough to give me a bouquet of flowers. It's just a little something."
Dwayne is having a blast watching the two of them. He, too, has noticed the profusion of flowers adorning the station's table and fridge. Camille has promised to take it all away when the lunch break arrives.
Richard, to whom that look of innocence shows that she might be toying with him, is even more upset and replies:
"That explains one bouquet..."
Camille looks down as Fidel tries to help her:
"Some vendors from the stalls have come to thank her for our help with the street pickpockets who were bothering the tourists. And since she's the only woman at the station..."
"Another detail, of course..." says Richard with a twist.
Camille can't help but begin to feel like the luckiest woman in the world. At least of the station at the moment. Richard would say that it´s a small station.
She, sure of that rather rude comment from her boss, has decided that she will rid him of everything that is making Richard's life, today, Valentine's Day, a living hell.
But for the moment it's going to help him a little bit to make all that tension go away.
"Oh, they don't mean anything special to me, Richard! It's a way like any other to say thank you for what we did for them. They know that with the draconian schedules we've had to endure these past few weeks, I haven't had time to prepare anything special for this day..."
Dwayne and Fidel look at her in amazement. Not that Camille is very subtle.
Richard unconsciously takes a step back, clears his throat noticeably and lowering his gaze as he returns to his desk, replies:
"I'm sorry, Camille. Being a police officer can be all-consuming. But we all knew that already, didn't we?" he asks Fidel nervously.
Fidel also tries to help his boss.
"Of course I do, although I am immensely lucky to have Juliette and my daughter, sir."
"Chief, is there anything special done in the UK? I mean do those who don't have a partner on this day do anything to have one or anything like that?"
Richard stares at them remembering his fateful days in Croydon and comments:
"I'm afraid I can't be of much help myself, Dwayne. I know that about six years ago now, people from my station who were single decided to go out together so that it wouldn't be too noticeable that day that you didn't have a partner. A strangely well-matched gang."
Richard doesn't tell them that, of course, he wasn't among them. He continued to spend that day alone.
"Not a bad idea." Camille opines.
"Excuse me?" Richard doesn't want to understand what she means.
Since it's already lunch break time, Camille is already gathering her things, among which are flowers and some gift or other.
"It's very simple. Fidel is the only lucky one who is going to be able to enjoy this day properly." Fidel can't help but smile thinking about his wife and the plans he has for this day...
Camille continues with her idea.
"Dwayne... well, I'm sure our Dwayne is not going to be bored at all I wrong?" she asks her friend.
"You know I´m never bored when it comes to women. Nor are they with me, of course. A gentleman would never allow it! But I don't promise eternal love..."
Richard rolls his eyes and can't help but comment:
"Of course."
Camille turns her gaze to Richard, but in changing at the last second her mind, instead she says:
"I'm afraid I have to help Maman this afternoon at the Kaz. The most we will be able to offer you, Richard, is a particularly good tea. A special tea for Valentine's Day."
Richard and the rest of the officers are puzzled. He still wishes she wasn't alluding to jealousy from him.
Although Camille has not been subtle at all and he is beginning to know how his DS thinks.
She is starting to be an open book to him.
At La Kaz, Camille has been watching how Richard enjoys his tea. Admittedly, it was particularly good today. Even Catherine, due to some perfectly laid plans, has gotten him two scones. She has even promised him that, if he behaves well, more scones will be available more often.
Camille steadfastly refused to participate in any more blind dates on the grounds that she was overworked, tired of such dates, and old enough to know what she didn't want.
"Or what you DO want." Catherine muttered to herself.
Making a decision, she decides to talk to him. It's about time he knew what she meant at the station.
Though that was before Camille was now glaring at her boss savoring his tea.
With determination she walks over to the table, sits down and, looking at him with a smile she blurts out before she has any chance to regret it as Richard looks at him at her with a mixture of fear, curiosity and strangeness.
"You, my friend, are not the only one alone on this special day. And I see no need to be alone. What do you say we spend this day together you and I?"
Richard stares at the tea in amazement. He may not have been wrong about Camille after all.
"Camille, what are you proposing?"
She softens her tone:
"Only that we can have a good time going out to dinner wherever you want or limit ourselves to spending the evening at your shack having a beer while we talk about strictly non-professional matters."
Richard suddenly feels sad, remembering his horrible past times. For a second, the ghosts of the past return.
"Are you making fun of me, Camille? I don't need your pity."
She turns serious.
"Nor do I yours, Richard. It's simply you and me alone and that's that. It seemed like a good idea for two friends who care about each other to take special care of each other on days like this. Two friends who have been friends for far too long."
And she rose angrily and embarrassed from the table.
Richard takes another sip of his tea to calm himself and, watching her walk away from the table, considers that she has already exposed her feelings for him and now it´s his turn.
He finishes his tea, stands and, as he leaves Catherine's bar, types a message on his cell phone addressed to Camille.
"Good idea about the beer. I take it back. Sorry, could you come to the shack and we'll talk?"
A message that Richard has decided not to read twice, he didn't want to give himself time to regret it.
On the way to his shack, he bought a bouquet of red roses and some chocolates. He is starting to get very good at reading Camille Bordey's book.
Camille has read the message. Very cryptic and concise. Very Poole. And very fast. She suspects what he plans. Today should be a special day.
She leaves the bar counter where she was leaning ignoring the patrons as she read Richard's message and tells her mother before going home to get ready:
"Mommy, I'm leaving. I don't think you need me anymore."
Catherine, hiding her smile, replies, oblivious to the fact that she had seen Richard leave the bar a few minutes earlier, "Of course not, honey. Go away. And have fun!"
"Mom! You know I don't have any dates today. I'm just going out with..."
"Yes?"
"Nothing. Bye!"
After dressing up especially, even if it's not exactly noticeable on the outside, Camille hurries off to Richard's shack.
And he's already waiting for her with two cold beers.
She really hopes his heart isn't as cold. She really hopes his heart is warm and searching for love, same as hers.
Even if their hearts aren't exactly cold...
She goes up to him for a kiss on the cheek and Richard asks her:
"So can I consider myself forgiven?"
"Of course you can. You know that. Let's go sit while we watch the waves...and then we'll talk."
Richard disappears inside the shack returning seconds later with the chocolates and the bouquet of red roses.
"Seems most appropriate to me. Happy Valentine's Day."
She picks up the flowers and squeezes them as she smells their perfume. This gift is meaningful to her.
"Thank you." Simple but with feeling.
As they both sit on the veranda to listen to the waves, Richard tells her:
"I'm sure at the station you've detected... This is difficult for me, Camille. More than I thought it would be. I..."
Camille puts her hand in his and replies:
"I know, Richard, I know. You know, you have no reason to be jealous, but I hope I have no reason to feel jealous!"
Camille disguises it better, but she is also nervous. That's why she has finished the sentence with that joke.
While they were talking, Richard, sensing that they needed them, especially him, has been bringing more cold beers and she goes for the second beer.
As does Richard.
"Of course not!" he replies once he feels calm enough again to continue the conversation. "I've got some dinner ready. Do you want to take it outside or... inside?"
She glares at him.
"I think we'd better go inside, Richard."
She kisses him on the lips softly:
"Just know that your flowers and chocolates are the only important gifts for me this day. Wouldn't you like to know what your Valentine's Day present is?"
Richard takes a breath and replies:
"Let's go inside then..."
"Now you can enjoy your Valentine's gift..." Camille whispers in her ear about to enter the shack.
Inside, when they've disposed of most of their clothing and Richard is thoroughly enjoying looking at his gift: a fiery red ensemble of terribly skimpy fabric miraculously still on Camille's body, he can't help but exclaim:
"Your... Valentine's gift drives me crazy. It won't be the last time I want to see it over you. But not for long..."
Poor Harry, seeing his space invaded, decides to run away. He is very much afraid that Richard only has eyes... and hands for her.
Back to the present...
He is still asleep.
"Richard Poole, you were right, you are an open book. Although I may need a simultaneous translator sometime. I have my whole life not to need one eventually." And as she goes about caressing his chest with her hand reaching more and more into a sensitive area, she continues to whisper to him, this time right into his ear. "And I think you're taking some poetic license. Maybe if you tell me what you're dreaming, you don't have to settle for imagining it."
He wakes up suddenly with a start. Those images, those sensations... were all too real.! When he looks at her discovering in her that mischievous smile, when he feels where her hand is, he decides that a gentleman always, always, has to do what his beloved asks...
"Richard," she manages to murmur at his enthusiastic reaction, "I finally get to decipher everything you think!"
"Camille," he replies trying to silence her with his kisses, "I told you once that I am an open book! And besides..."
"Instruct me..." interrupts Camille.
"For some time now, and you know it, it has given you access to my whole being. You had to be the one to break down all my defenses, but… we must not waste time with chatter, you know what they say, don't leave for tomorrow the kisses you can give today..."