It took two months to get the magistrate to trust me again: he said the next time I landed that he had been blackmailed about the box. I told him I had forgotten to clear it from my records when I arrived at the central market, and it was true I had. I knew I needed an excuse since that outpost was a prime location to stop off between hauls. It was small and not very well known except by people like me who looked for rest stops on the long hauls.
I took to walking in the markets, seeing the bargains but always keeping an eye out if Mickey should ever cross my path again. Sometimes I thought I was being watched as I was walking, and once when I was taking a short cut through an alley a couple of thugs had approached, but done nothing to me, glancing to somewhere over my shoulder. I liked to think that he was keeping an eye out for me, even though I heard nothing of him.
Three months after the alley incident, four months after he left I heard his name. The radio was talking away, but I wasn't really listening, then his name was mentioned and I zoned in.
"It is thought this Turnsbourne is the one responsible for the heist, throwing the government of Lilia into a debt of millions of credits. The heist was apparently focused on precious minerals mined in mines that had not been previously announced to be in operation. The story came out through workers…"
I grinned: he had hit a place that the ones who owned didn't dare declare they even possessed.
"The Provost is now undertaking a thorough investigation into the entire proceeding, while a contract has been taken out on the man called Turnsbourne for several million. We will go over to the secretary of labour for the Provost to discuss the mines…"
The radio announcer continued for some time, pulling many people up to the microphone and I got the general impression that he liked the idea of the establishment being robbed of something they had lied to possess. After listening to the rest of the show, I turned to the other channels, following up on the heist. Apparently the entire organization that Mickey led had gone to ground, and the minerals were yet to be found. I knew they were probably in refining plants already, being converted into something that could be sold innocently.
I laughed, and turned my attention to the manifest on my ship. I had done well since I had last seen Mickey and besides now having a shield that defied the gods themselves and strong but small laser cannon I had upgraded my light speed generators. It had cost a kingdom's ransom, but was so well worth it that I discounted the entire thing as a plus on my ledgers. The faster travelling now meant that I could do more jobs.
Looking over the goods, I decided to go back to the central market again. The threats had passed quickly enough (revealed as a saboteur that wanted revenge) and the place was even more booming than before. I was glad I had held onto my spot and permit which set a steady rate to pay, since that was now worth an insane amount. The central market had constructed rings around the planet as a dry dock which people could pull into, but it was truly inconvenient, and all it took was a mention of a planet-side dock to bring the good deals my way.
I landed on the central market to a flurry of activity. Apparently there was a bargain on the moment which cut import taxes on all who had planet-side docking permits. With my permit card hanging around my neck the merchants almost fell over themselves to do deals with me. I walked away very rich from a few days trading. I even joined in the game of on-base trading of goods, and felt that I could stay for a while. I put a percentage of my earnings away for the steep docking fees and taxes, but was really having fun.
I had arranged to buy a good deal of fabric and seeds by the time I was heading out. I thought it would be a great idea of giving it to my sister. Her colony was unfortunately not doing well, and I had already bought them out from a loan shark once, so a gift of seeds and cloth could not possibly be unwelcome. They were proud those on the colony, and didn't like 'Emily's sister's charity'. Fabric that they had to make into clothes themselves however and dry seeds they had to coax to grow were things that took work to make anything out of, and would be better received by the grumblers.
I was loading the last on the ship and closing the hull when I saw someone by the gangway. I had left the front part open as the entire sector was now locked down, due to the value of the docks. It was as hard to get in and out of these areas as it was to get into the inner rim.
I wondered who would be there, then shook my head. I had skipped my shot last night sitting up talking to a friend trader saying goodbye (we had played the market together, and had gotten close, often taking meals with his family) so as a result I could actually easily have imagined it. Finishing off, I got my clearance to launch.
I ran back to the gangway as the rain pounded through the opened weather shield, but didn't get under cover in time and when I walked into the ship, I was soaked.
I looked around as a matter of course. Maybe I had seen right and someone was here, but there was no one.
There came a cough from the bottom of the gangway, and there stood Mickey. He was soaked to the skin in the rain, but it was him, alone with the same smile and same look.
I ran down the ramp and flung myself into his arms. He laughed.
"Missed you too" he said, and leaned back slightly to have a look at me. "You look tired" he said, concerned.
"And you look thin!" I exclaimed, feeling his bulk was a good deal thinner than it had been. He was leaner now, and the strong frame had thinned. Now his muscles were wires instead of bunches, and he looked stretched.
"It's not so easy being a hunted man. Now, darlin, can we get out of this damn rain?" he drawled. I pulled him up the ramp readily enough, and closed the door behind us. He looked around.
"Ah see you finished the painting" he commented at the riot of colour on one wall. The landscape of green fields with grey mountains and blue sky made the entire room feel alive like it was vibrating. I grinned, thinking it had taken me a while to get all the details right.
"Yeah. Took about a month and a half after you left." I said easily. "I haven't figured out what I want to work on next"
Mickey smiled at me, stripping off his soaked jacket.
"Here" I said, showing him a small panel that pulled back to reveal a washing machine. "You can wash your clothes here". He grinned, and gestured at the small bag I hadn't noticed off his shoulder.
"It's not as if I'm floating in clothes, darlin" he drawled lightly. I laughed and told him to strip. Going into my room, I searched out a small box in the corner of the cupboard. It held all my experiments with men's clothing, and some pieces I had bought to study. I tossed it out the door to him with the explanation, and went to change my own.
I was in dry clothes and steering upwards when Mickey entered the cockpit. The trousers had been too long, as well as the sleeves so they were rolled up several times. I had made the chest piece well, but it stretched slightly over his shoulders. Mickey didn't seem to mind though.
"So, where are we headin'?" he drawled.
"First to Ossetia, to drop off several things that I sold to them, then onwards to the Kremlin stretch to buy up medicines to sell to colonies on the way to my sister's." I said easily. "How long are you staying this time?"
"Until they realize they can't find me and take the price off my head. Milligan is keeping things going until then." I glanced at him.
"How do you know you won't come back to a Milligan who doesn't want you there?" I asked, and he laughed.
"I forgot you don't know Milligan. He hates the 'lord' part of drug lord. He only agreed to cover for me in exchange for being allowed to use my ships to do his own trading on the side. He hates talking to people in the way I have to: he will be glad when I come home"
"Well then" I commented, focusing on the storms as I steered away from the stratosphere. "Damn!" I exclaimed when one gust tipped the ship slightly and I heard something in the kitchen fall onto the floor. "I hope that wasn't the fruit" I muttered.
Mickey smiled in agreement, his eyes again on my computer specifications. "You've upgraded" he said impressed. "Some of this stuff- who the hell makes these things?"
I grinned at his exclamation, and then gave a brief statement about Connor, my mechanic. I mentioned his absolute genius, but also his and his entire colonies extreme xenophobia.
"Xenophobes? Then how do you trade with them?" Mickey asked surprised.
"I come around so often and pay enough to them so they think of me more like a wayward sheep from the flock" I commented ironically, telling him about the time when I had the generators updated that the priest had come around to ask me to 'take my place' and to stop 'flinging myself into temptation'. I had talked him around by saying that some had to go wayward to make life better for those on the right path, sacrificing themselves for the betterment of others, and followed it up by a large donation to his church. After that he called me his little 'wandering bird' and seemed quite content to forgive my waywardness in exchange for generous additions to his chapel's funds. Mickey was laughing at the end of my tale.
I set the light jump co ordinates, and we left the steering to go into the back. I threw myself onto the sofa, exhausted.
"Urgh, I could sleep for a week" I said, and he chuckled. His hand caressed my face, and sat on the sofa, looking at me amused.
I leaned up and pulled him down to me in a kiss. After that our reunion continued more or less as I had imagined and dreamt in the months alone.
It was a few hours later when I was trying to avoid going to sleep on the sofa when Mickey whispered in my ear.
"Tina, I'd like to ask you something serious." He said, and I turned my head to look at him.
"What is it?" I asked, focusing my eyes on his face.
"May I enter your room?" he said seriously. To me now it seemed obvious that he would, since my bedroom was the bigger one with a double bed, but I realized that he had taken my fit of temper very much to heart. I considered it for a moment, taking it in seriously. If I let him in my bedroom, he would be the first I would willingly invite into my life. Then I realized I had already done that in a simple but profound way: I had taken his hand and pulled him onboard my ship. I had wanted him aboard.
"Yes, alright." I said seriously. He smiled, a smile of pure happiness, and his face shone with it.
I laughed, and then sat up. There was a slight head rush, then the sharp beginnings of a headache.
"Ow." I said, hand to my head. Mickey looked at me curiously, and I blushed. I would feel horrible having to admit I missed my shot. In that instant, I made a decision.
"I've been trying to go clean. It's harder than I thought" I said ruefully. "I've tried several times now, but never fully manage." I made a face, and Mickey sat up beside me.
"You're quitting?" he asked seriously. "Why?"
I gave him an incredulous look.
"Why now?" he amended. I smiled sheepishly.
"I kinda like the idea of being with you without drugs" I admitted. "I know it sounds silly to say a thing like that to a drug lord, but just to a man-"
"To a man it makes perfect sense" he said, then kissed my head. "Tina Lingon, I have never fallen for someone so fast and completely." He said seriously. I grinned suddenly.
"It's true isn't it though?" I said in realization. "I guess by fact I only met you twice. Not much of a long time relationship, but I feel like I know you… at the same time as I know nothing about you."
"And I you. Well, I hope the time we spend together will let us get closer." I laughed again.
"I like that idea" I confessed, then grabbed his hand and what clothes of mine I could easily reach and unlocked my room. He stepped in, looking around.
"I see how you would think this private. It's sort of like a den, isn't it?" he joked, and I realized he hadn't seen the inside of it. Just Milligan. It felt better showing it to him now properly.
"I like it this way, even though it's a bit of a mess" I confessed. I looked at the bed and saw I had forgotten to lay it properly, so the sheets were scrunched up, the deep red and gold's making it seem as luxurious as the rest of the ship while breaking the colour code. But that didn't matter in my room, because here I had many deep colours. The books on the shelves were coloured, with the clothes on the floor and the paintings on the walls.
I sat on the bed, dumping my clothing in the pile.
"I can clean up a bit if you don't like mess" I said uncertainly when Mickey said nothing. He smiled.
"Nah. I'll just start my own pile" he said easily tossing his clothes into another corner and joined me on the bed. It was strange to have him sitting there, right beside me, on the bed I had dreamed of him in. Leaning in, I almost fell into his kiss as he drew me down softly. This time the lovemaking was softer, slower. It was as if he was savouring it as much as I was, here in my room, the place that you had to earn a place in my heart before you could enter.