CHAPTER 4:

"Really Mui…I thought you were the smart one. What's that on the third finger of you left hand?" Jen felt herself go pale in the face. Of all things, she forgot to take off her diamond studded wedding ring before leaving England. She looked down at it, avoiding Major Garrett's accusing old brown eyes. "Well?"

"It's my wedding ring." She replied, looking away from Garrett.

"You're married? Really? Where's your husband?"

"I'm right here." James stepped into the room. Jen glared up at him in disbelief.

"So you're saying you two are married?" Garrett said, hardly believing that the two people in his office, who, when he first met them, wanted to kill each other, were now married.

"Yes, we are. It's been three years." James told him, standing behind Jen. Major Garrett looked between the two of them suspiciously. Jen felt James put his hands on her shoulders and she had enough. She stood up.

"I'm leaving." She stormed out of the tiny office, grabbing her things. She hurried out of the base, taking an unmarked Humvee while she was at it. James stood for a second longer before he nodded at Major Garrett and took off after her.

"Jen! Wait! Please?" She turned and looked at him just before she pulled open the door. "I'll go with you to find out what the other factions are offering. Just…can we avoid the Taliban?" Jen started the truck with a glare of retaliation. "Okay! We'll go there even!" James rushed over to the other side of the huge vehicle and got in the passenger side. Jen stomped on the gas pedal and the truck roared forward, throwing up tons of desert sand behind the back tires. "Jennifer?"

"Just…shut up ok?" She muttered. James saw a tear slowly dribble its way down the side of her cheek.

"Jen? Why are you crying?"

"Just shut up OKAY!" She sniffled loudly, consistently keeping all eyes on the road. James in fact did shut up, but not before muttering something about hormones and the like.

The rest of the drive was completed in utter silence, with Jen's occasional sniffle breaking the still air. She was driving to the capital of Qatar, Doha, where she knew the Chinese had nested their base on the east coast, off of the Persian Gulf. James kept stealing glances at her, unable to take any guess as to what she was really that upset about. There was a barrier blockading their communication and he wanted to bust it down like the Berlin Wall.

"Jennifer?"

"What happened to you shutting up?"

"Enough. I want to know what you are so upset about." Jen glared back at him. "And yes, I know going behind your back and kind of lying is part of the problem, but still. You're way too upset for just that. Crying and all?" Jen swallowed back her words before pulling the Humvee over, dirt splaying everywhere. She cut the engine, and sat back in her seat, still staring straight ahead at the nearby capital city. All was eerily quiet. James unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned over closer to her, landing his elbows down on the middle console.

"James I…"

"You're not pregnant again, are you?" James asked worriedly.

"No! It's not that!" She exclaimed, laughing at his suggestion. "It's just…I hate being mad at you…I mean what you did really pissed me off, but at the same time, I still love you." Jen half-smiled, hoping he would understand what she meant. James reached out for her hand. She gladly took it, turning her head to the right, peering deeply into his icy blue eyes. They slowly leaned in, and their lips met in a soft kiss. "All right, let's get on with this, shall we?" Jen whispered, pulling away from James. She started the truck up and turned off to head to the Chinese base.

Back in London, England.

"Cooper, I've got to go out and get us some groceries. Can you keep an eye on Marissa?" Fiona called out, gathering her keys off the rack. Cooper walked in to the front hall of Jen and James' house. They had decided to take up residence in their house so Marissa wouldn't be overly upset with her parents missing and all. They also stayed because it was far roomier for the three of them than that of Cooper's one bedroom apartment.

"All right." He replied, giving Fiona a swift peck on the cheek. Fiona left, looking back at Marissa in Cooper's arms. The moment the door closed, Cooper looked down at the toddler in his arms. She had straight shaggy black hair and her father's icy blue eyes. "Well it's just you and me."

"Coop…Coope….Cooper!" Marissa shrieked, finally getting his name right. Cooper grinned.

"Let's uh…Here, take this." Cooper walked into the living room. He grabbed one of the toy cars he had given her for her birthday and set it down on the table. He put Marissa down and she started moving back and forth across the table. Cooper plopped down on the couch, turning the lamp on. He pulled out his journal and began writing in it as he did every day. He continued to write as Marissa began making car noises to go along with her playing. Cooper smiled. She reminded him when he was that age, always with a toy automobile in hand. A child playing with a toy car, making the noises is like music to my ears, he wrote. He folded his book, and stuffed it back into his jeans' pocket. He continued to watch Marissa for a good twenty minutes before he too got down on the floor and picked up another car and joined her. She smiled with laughter as the two 'raced' their cars up and around the table. Cooper had never felt like such a child since he was, well, a child. Marissa had really brought out his youthful side.

"Cooper? Would you be able to-?" Fiona paused as she peered around the corner into the living room. Cooper was holding Marissa and the pair of them had fallen asleep on the couch. Marissa's head was tucked in on his shoulder and he had leaned down on the arm of the couch to his right. Fiona felt an enormous smile cross her lips. It was the cutest thing she had ever seen. She leaned back against the wall, lingering for a moment, watching them sleep. Cooper was snoring lightly, as was Marissa. Fiona softly set down the two grocery bags she was carrying. She went out and got the rest from her Camaro and then locked it, hurrying in from the pouring rain. She locked the door, and as she walked past the living room, she saw that Cooper was awake.

"I think I have never seen something so cute before in my life." Fiona whispered. Cooper laughed quietly, slowly getting up, still holding onto the sleeping form of Marissa. He carried her past Fiona, sneaking a kiss on her cheek before going upstairs to put Marissa in her bed. Fiona had meanwhile put her groceries into the fridge. Cooper treaded down the stairs and into the kitchen. Fiona looked up at him. They had been together for two years, for the most part. There had been times when Cooper felt he wasn't quite ready for a 'serious' commitment, and he broke it off. Fiona just waited until he came around and realised how stupid he was being, and then he'd come back asking if they could get back together. Fiona always replied with a stern yes, considering she knew she would always love him albeit his social quirks.

"How was the drive out in the rain?"

"A pain. Idiots of all sorts appeared to be out on the road today. But I survived, obviously." Fiona replied, now facing him. He grinned, leaned down, and kissed her softly on the lips.

"Any word from Jen or James?"

"No…none at all. I mean if I was really worried about them, I can track her cell phone down on the computer."

"True. So…want to watch a movie or something?" Fiona chuckled.

"All right…what Bond movie are we on?" Fiona asked, walking beside him into the cozy living room.

"Tomorrow Never Dies." Cooper replied, pulling out the DVD from the shelf. He out it in the player and sat down on the couch beside Fiona. She hit play on the remote and scooted over so they were right snug up against each other. She leaned her head down on his shoulder just as she skipped through the previews. He took his arm and wrapped it around her, pulling her right up close to his chest and chin. "Have I ever mentioned how much I l-l-like you Fiona?" Cooper stammered in a whisper. He had never been able to say how much he 'loved' her, only liked. Fiona smiled anyways.

"Quite a bit." She replied back, taking his hand, giving it a slight squeeze. She knew that one day, eventually, he'd be able to say 'I love you', and she was fully prepared to wait for it.