AN: I'm sorry it took longer than anticipated but here is the next chapter :) Again it is a long one. Thanks to all my lovely reviewers :D very happy at so many reviews I've had. Definitely have brightened up my days. Thanks also to Pinkie purple who told me Oscar's mum is called the Colonel. I can't believe I didn't see that so thanks muchly. Anyways, I have no idea when the next chapter will be up as I'm going away for a few days from tomorrow and I don't think I'm gonna have much time to write whilst I'm away. Anyways hope you've been enjoying the sunshine and hope you enjoy the chapter. Have an ice lolly on me :)
Kallie xx
Chapter 24
Johny's POV
I ambled down the corridor, trying not to bring attention to myself. I wasn't sure where Leo was going to be, I just hoped he was alone. I passed the Grand Master and General Flopsy and I could feel their eyes watching me, wary. Either they didn't entirely believe me about the whole triple agent thing or word about me beating up Jack had gotten around fast. I hoped it was the latter. I looked around the whole of the top floor and went down to the lower levels when there was still no sign of him. I headed down towards the dungeons, uh I mean cells, thinking that as a senior agent he may be there. Unfortunately he wasn't. I headed back upstairs ignoring the stares of the guards who were doing a CSI impression of the cell Frank had been in. I glared at them. "Millicent wants all of you upstairs. I'm to find out how you incompetent morons managed to lose Frank London," I barked when one them stood directly in front of me, his knees knocking. They ran quickly, not wanting to upset the dragon lady. As I headed back up the stairs after them, now slightly annoyed, I bumped into James who was still looking beat up since Kittie had hit him with a pole. "Watch it," I growled. I wasn't in the mood to deal with him, not after I'd attacked Jack. He stared at me, clenched his fists but said nothing, luckily for him. I'm not normally a violent person but I do have a dark side and I will protect my family and friends. I shook my head. I just wanted to find Leo.
I found him in his room, lying on his back on his bed. I didn't bother knocking, just entered. He looked up at me.
"How?" I asked, being short and to the point. You never knew who would be listening, even though the room was protected from bugs that might have been planted.
"Quick," he replied barely batting an eyelid.
I shut the door and sat on the end of the bed, causing Leo to move his feet. "How?" I asked again, unsure how he could have been so quick. I knew that Stark liked Frank. Well, everyone but Frank and Stark knew they liked each other, pretty much.
"No complications."
"But Stark." I didn't understand.
"No Stark."
"No Stark?" He hadn't gone? But that had been the point. Frank wasn't well enough to move alone. "Why?"
"Change."
Change? But who would… "Kittie," I stated. She'd been the only one to change the plan as it was her plan.
"Yes."
I nodded thoughtfully. She must have had a good reason, possibly knowing about the new time restriction. "Thank you." I turned and walked out the door, trying not to smile. Once again we'd gotten ahead of SKUL.
Stark's POV
I paced back and forth across my living room. Time passed agonisingly slowly and I could practically feel each second tick by. I've never been a patient person but this was just brutal. Ever since Kittie had told me about the change of plan, I'd been a wreck. What if something went wrong? Although I wouldn't admit it out loud, I did care about other people and I didn't want any harm to come to them, well not my side anyway and especially not Frank. An hour had passed since I would have entered the laundry basket, then another and another. I was tired from pacing for hours but I was too wound up to sit down. Where were they? Had something gone wrong? I know the plan had been to take him back to MI9 to run medical tests to see how he was, but surely that wouldn't have taken that long? Kittie they said they would let me know if there was a problem, so why –
The doorbell rang, interrupting my ranting. I hurried to open it, my heart in my mouth. I opened the door nervously and froze. There on the doorstep, albeit rather beaten up and needing support, was Frank. Outside, I was calm and professional, but inside, I was a flutter of nerves. I nodded at the agents supporting Frank. "I'll take it from here."
They nodded at me and helped Frank onto the sofa. Once he was settled, they left. One looked back, concern showing on his face for a second – Frank was liked by many, but he left too, without a sound. We sat there in silence, neither of us sure what to say. I looked at Frank, noticing the bruising and the healing wounds that may scar his face but it wasn't definite. I noticed all the lumps, bumps, swelling and shadows. I'd never seen an agent like this before. What had they done to him?
Frank was the first to speak. "Hello," he said, so quietly that I almost missed it.
I smiled and sat at the other end of the sofa. "Hello," I replied. "Welcome back."
"It's good to be back," he answered, looking at me through swollen eyes. His voice was dry and scratchy.
I went into the kitchen and found a jug and a glass of water after looking through the cupboards. I hadn't been here long and had yet to use the kitchen. Everything had been disposable, takeaways, things that hadn't left a trace.
I walked back into the living room. Frank had slumped down and his eyes were half-closed. His skin had paled and was clammy. I gently placed the jug and the glass on the table and grabbed a blanket which I gently draped over Frank, trying not to disturb him. As I turned away, his hand grabbed mine. He tried to speak but ended up coughing. Releasing my hand from his, I held the glass out to him. When he didn't take it, I sat on the sofa next to him and held the glass to his lips. He drank slowly but greedily. When he was finished, he pulled away and I placed it back on the table.
He looked at me, his eyes less glazed, confusion showing. "Horatio."
"Frank."
"Why?" Why. I guess it was a good question. I'd never shown much affection to him, even as a friend. I thought how to respond.
"To help. Your team needed you back and you should never leave anyone out or behind."
I watched Frank smile slowly, the basic action causing him pain. He began coughing again and shivered. I stood up. "Right, you rest. I'll get more blankets and make soup. You need to eat to build up your strength. I'll also fetch you new clothes and once you've eaten and rested you can put them on."
"You're being bossy," he said.
"Wouldn't be the first time," I replied opening a box and taking out several blankets. I covered him up and placed a cushion behind his head. "Comfortable? Good. I'll go make dinner. You rest and I'll be back soon. No moving."
He nodded weakly and started coughing again. I held up the glass to him but he pushed it away. I frowned and held it out to him again. "Drink or you'll get worse. You're dehydrated." He shook his head and waved his hand. I looked at him. "Please." I watched him and saw him roll his eyes but he accepted the cup and drank slowly. When he was finished, I placed the empty cup on the table and he sank back against the cushions, his eyes closing.
I stood in the doorway, watching him, wondering what SKUL had done to him. Frank must have sensed me watching him because he opened his eyes. "Are you watching me?" he asked weakly.
Shamefully I blushed. "No," I lied, wishing he hadn't noticed. He smiled and closed his eyes. I sighed and went into kitchen. I wondered if I could order some soup whilst Frank was asleep but he'd probably guess. I had no idea how to make it and I had no tins. I needed help and unfortunately I knew who to call.
Kittie's POV
Nearly two weeks had past, two weeks of stolen kisses when no-one was around which unfortunately didn't happen much. We spent a lot of that two weeks together, mostly him at mine due to his injuries both physically and mentally; we had gone to his foster home a couple of times and I had met his foster family. I don't think Duncan was too pleased to see me with Oscar. Carol, David and Emily were lovely. Emily was a little sad that Oscar was staying with me but accepted that Oscar was staying with me whilst we worked on a project and that I needed a hand looking after the little ones. Both true but not the reason he was with us. I still didn't know what SKUL had done to him but slowly he was getting less and less scared. We were, for the most part, inseparable. Most nights either I was in his room or he was in mine. Nobody seemed to have a major problem with it. They probably didn't notice that we were going out, although we hadn't actually had a first date yet. Not that I cared about that, much. I just liked being with him and he liked being with me.
Frank's recovery was slower than Oscar's. Jack said he'd been beaten up pretty bad. Stark was looking after him and I was mostly glad. It did leave us with the problem of our leader for the time being. Mine and Oscar's leave had temporarily been suspended on the grounds that Honey was needed for field work – Stark's idea, whilst Oscar stayed on comms in base. We'd had 5 different team leaders since Frank was rescued, including Stark. Stark left because we forced him to. He was spending more time thinking about Frank than about missions so we insisted he leave, more for his safety than ours. Carrie had threatened to stab him several times, although she didn't seem to mind me and Oscar too much. She and Rose knew. It was more obvious down there; the small things were much more noticeable but I digress. We'd had this lady called Stella who apparently knew Frank but none of us liked her. She was hard and cold, nothing compared to Frank. But basically it came down to the fact that she wasn't Frank, none of them were. The Director was getting fed up of us rejecting every leader we'd been sent and we had one last chance else we were suspended until Frank was back. Hopefully we wouldn't be suspended but with all the drama that had happened recently, I wouldn't be surprised if she carried out her threat.
I sighed and closed my eyes, hoping for a moment to myself. I should have been having some time to myself. Michael and Oscar had taken the kids out to the park whilst I stayed home with a headache. I wasn't feeling all that great today but I could not fall asleep. My mind was just too active. It had been a recurring problem recently and I'd just given up trying to force myself to sleep at night. I would get up and do something else like making Tom's costumes for his nursery play. Already this week alone I had made an angel for Sophie, a mouse for Cal and last night had finished the pumpkin for Tom but I still had one more to do. I should have been tired now. I was tired but I just couldn't fall asleep.
Beside me, my phone buzzed and I smiled, thinking it was probably Oscar saying he was bored without me. I opened the message and read it quickly, frowning slightly. It was from Lexi. Despite the message I had received from him telling me he'd be here in 11 days, he hadn't been there. I hadn't heard anything from him since that message and I'd been getting worried but at last I'd heard from him. I read the text quickly and nearly fell off my bed in relief. Despite the fact I should have been resting, I leapt off the bed, clattered down the stairs as fast as I could go without falling, which is pretty fast, and having grabbed my keys and stuffed my feet into a pair of shoes, hurtled out of the front door.
When I reached the gate in the woods, I threw it open, not caring if anyone saw, not that anyone would. Technically we owned this land even though no-one could live in what used to be the house.
It was an old cottage that had been passed onto Uncle Max from his great aunt years ago and since then had fallen into ruin. It made a great place to use as a base because no-one ever came here. Lexi wasn't by the house or at the foot of the tree so I climbed up, my heart in my mouth at the prospect of finding my best friend in who knows what state. I hadn't seen him since Oscar found out I was Honey 6 weeks ago, and other than the cryptic message and the text just now, there had been no contact. Was I worried? Of course. This was Lexi. He was worse than me for self-harming and him having been back in Russia? Who knows what that could have done to his head. I hoped he was alright.
Having climbed up into the tree house, I looked around, trying to find him. I started to panic when there was no-one there. What if this was a trap and the real reason Lexi hadn't turned up was because SKUL had caught him. No, I couldn't think like that. Maybe I had just missed him. Yes, yes, that was it; I just hadn't seen him. A hand touched my shoulder and I whirled round, in case it wasn't him. I hugged him then let go, hitting his shoulder.
"What happened? No word from you except once telling me you're coming home, then you're late!"
He smiled but there was something odd about it. "I'm sorry, I just couldn't come straight here. But I'm here now."
I hugged him again and let him rest his on top of mine. "I missed you," I said. "I hate it when you go away for long. I lose one of my best friends."
"I know," he mumbled into my hair. He pulled away and looked at me. "Anyway, how are things with you? Have you sorted things out with Oscar?"
I grinned. "Yep. Things have never been better between us. Lexi, he really likes me. We haven't had time to have a proper date though. He's been hurt –" Lexi looked at me confused. "I forgot. You missed a lot. Oscar got captured by SKUL and they hurt him but not as bad as they hurt Frank. And –"
I looked up at him and noticed he wasn't really listening. "Lexi? What is it? What's wrong?" I asked worriedly. He may be quiet normally but this was just wrong.
He sighed and turned away. When he faced me again, I swear there were tears in his eyes. "Everything went wrong. When I got to Russia, Grandmama Rosa had died and I'd missed the funeral, nobody bothered to tell me. Then Zarco failed to fully check the location of the mission. I watched everyone die, right in front of me. They were burning and screaming – those who hadn't died immediately in the explosions or gunned down by the soldiers. It was horrible. I was on the run for 3 weeks. I spent most of my time in ditches, barns, just hiding. I was cold, wet and alone. I'd never felt so alone. I was scared and all I could think about was getting back here, hopefully alive."
"Oh Lexi," I whispered quietly. I wrapped my arms around him, holding him as he broke down and sobbed into my shoulder. For 5 minutes I held him, tears flowing constantly in a steady stream. There was no way to tell where one tear ended and another started. I felt so sorry for him.
When the tears finally stopped, he pulled away, refusing to look at me. He dried his eyes with the back of a sleeve then smiled at me, a ghost of a smile but it was a smile.
I smiled back. "I take it you're wanting somewhere you can lay low for a while. Somewhere secluded, safe, with lots of escape routes if necessary."
He nodded. "Know anywhere like that?"
I paused to make it look like I was thinking. "Hmm." I grinned. "Well there is one place."
He looked at me, his smile faltering. "Are you sure?" he asked. "You don't mind?"
I stared at him. "Are you kidding me? You're like family. Of course you can stay. We've already got a room made up for you. It's Alec's old room but he doesn't use it, hasn't in like forever. It's yours if you want it."
"Then I accept."
I smiled and held out my hand to him. "Come on then, let's go. I'll stop by your house later and get some of your stuff, clothes mostly."
He nodded. "The first place they'll look for me is home. But what about school?"
I grinned. "SJ's turned up again since you've been gone. Between her and Michael, you'll be safe."
I looked out the window and saw that it had started raining. "Do you want to go back now or stay here for a bit?"
Lexi didn't answer for a while and I guessed he was thinking. "Stay here," he said finally. "At least until the rain stops. You came without a coat, again," he pointed out.
I shrugged. "What did you expect? I was more concerned about you."
He smiled. "Yeah, it is you."
I stuck my tongue out at him and threw a cushion at his head. In response, he picked up the cushion and threw it back, hitting my squarely on the head. His aim was slightly better than mine. All-out war began as cushions flew everywhere. Who says I needed to grow up? Not me, that's for sure.
The next day, I arrived outside the address Stark had given me, unsure if this was the right place. Whilst I'd sent Joe round with soup and food supplies, I'd never come here myself. Did Stark really live here? The house was, by rough estimation was 3 bedroom semi, with a neat front lawn and hedgerow. Nothing looked out of place and whilst I could see this being home to Stark due to the excessive neatness and well, sterileness, I didn't imagine Stark did the gardening. He probably hired a gardener. I opened the white wooden gate and waited for it to squeak but it didn't. I walked up the garden path and noticed there were no flowers in the garden at all. I had a feeling Frank would change that.
As I reached the front door, I wondered why I had been allowed to come. Up until now, no-one had been allowed to see Frank, so why was I allowed here now? The whole team had tried to come but all of us had been told Frank wasn't well enough. Maybe it was a good thing that Oscar and I had made up the day Frank was rescued. What am I saying? Of course it's a good thing, especially with Frank ill because Oscar needed somewhere to stay. I liked having Oscar at home. It meant I could keep an eye on him, him keep an eye on me and we could spend more time together this way. I knocked on the front door and Stark opened it, looking happier than I'd ever seen him – I mean he was smiling!
I smiled. "Hi St–Horatio."
"Hi Kittie," he replied, moving away from the doorway so that I could come in.
I stepped through the hallway, noting the neatness and blankness inside. Most houses had photos hanging there of boats, plants, even family but there was nothing. Even the walls were blank and white.
"Frank's in the sitting room," said Stark, directing me on the door to the left.
I smiled. "Thanks." He nodded and turned to go. "Wait," I called. He stopped and looked at me. "It… you… well you can stay and listen. I don't mind."
He nodded again, thoughtful and I could tell he was intrigued.
I walked into the sitting room and sat opposite Frank, knowing that if I sat next to him, I would probably end up crying. Stark sat down next to Frank and both waited for me to explain why I was here, Frank smiling and being friendly, Stark staring but thoughtful.
I took a deep breath. "Before I start, you have to promise you won't interrupt, otherwise I'll stop and won't be able to carry on." They looked at me, neither saying anything. I nodded and began talking.
"The thing is, as much as I like being here working with everyone, I can't stay with you forever. I have my own team, my own people who need me. I'm not even supposed to be here at St Hopes. I was only moved there because my Uncle was annoyed at me for acting like a human being for once, and it was only on a temporary basis. I know what Tristan said about me being there but he knows full well I can take care of myself. Now he's calmed down a bit and realised things actually ran more smoothly at the hotel with me there, he's moving me back to Barclay after Christmas. Of course I'm going to miss everyone, but Barclay is where I started and I miss all my friends there. Lexi needs me and Michael says it's not the same without me. Before I came, you had a good, solid team and of course I'm going to stay in contact. I will be there if I am needed but I have to go back."
I waited for them to say something. Either of them, anything, anything at all.
Frank looked at me a little sadly and I could see he was still in a lot of pain. "I know Kittie. It looks as though things
have already been decided. We'll be sorry to see you go."
I stared at him, a little shocked. That was it? That was all he was going to say about it? "Umm alright."
Frank must have picked up on my taken-aback-ness and said "We really will miss you but as you said, you can't stay. How are things between you and Oscar now?" he asked, changing the subject.
I smiled. "Things are good, really good, better than ever before and –"
In my pocket, my phone buzzed and my hand shot straight to it. I hoped it wasn't Lexi or Michael telling me I was needed at home. Unfortunately it was worse. Today was Sunday and it was supposed to be a full day with the kids. Even now I was breaking the rules by being here, but with the promise of me reading stories every day next week except Tuesday and Wednesday unless I wanted to and was available, I had been allowed out. Sophie, Tom and Cal were tough bosses. Now I had to go and be a spy. I groaned and rubbed my face in anguish.
"Sorry, I have to go. Apparently Oscar's mum is back in the country and we have to go and deal with her."
Frank nodded, understanding. "Be careful. It would be great if we could capture her, just be careful. We don't want to lose anyone else."
I grimaced, trying hard not to remember what had happened last time we went up against her. "Thanks. We'll be careful."
Walking out the door, I called Oscar. "We're wanted by the Director. Carrie and Rose should have the location. I'm coming to get changed then we'll go. I take it the Director got hold of you too. No? Well I want you there as long as you're up to it. Good. Get changed and ask Lexi to keep an eye on the little ones for me, please. I'll be there as soon as I can." I hung up and scraped my hair back, trying to make it quicker to change when I got home.
40 minutes later thanks to Joe, we were once again outside an abandoned warehouse. I shivered at the memory and felt Oscar place a comforting hand on my shoulder, squeezing it gently. I smiled up at him gratefully and slipped my hand into his. Together we carefully approached the meeting place. Carrie, Rose and the Director were waiting there with about a dozen agents with guns.
Fury flickered across the Directors face but there was nothing she could do about it now. "Agent Harper, agent Cole," she greeted us grudgingly, obviously furious that I had brought him with me. "I didn't realise the two of you were so close, let alone knew each other," she said looking down at our hands.
Quickly I let go, realising she obviously hadn't bothered to read my file and for some reason she actually didn't know. I would have thought that as the head of MI9 she would know. "Yes, well I was scared. The last time I was in a place like this, your agents messed up and my friend ended up dead," I snapped back. "I don't want that happening again."
She glared at me, then regained her calm, determined not to let a child get the better of her. "Alright team. We have the Colonel is back in the country and that she will be here. Our goal is to capture her and bring her back to MI9 without casualties. Agents Gupta, Stewart, Harper and Cole will be visible, the armed guards hidden, protecting them. You four are the bait. The four of you will split up and draw her out into the open. Once you've got her attention, we'll surround her and then take her into custody. Understand? Good, now go. We haven't got long," she said sharply, not giving us time to answer.
The soldiers slipped away, Carrie and Rose watching us before they turned and went out into the open.
Beside me I felt Oscar bristle with fury and I knew it was only a matter of seconds before he would storm off or explode, possibly both. Which he promptly did. I hurried after him as he muttered dark words under his breath. I now knew why the Director hadn't wanted Oscar here but still, he was a part of this team. I caught him up, slipped my hand into his, and waited for him to start complaining to me. Surprisingly he didn't. Dropping my hand, he walked over to a tree and kicked it. Now, I could tell him that whilst kicking trees helped a bit, you could get more force behind you by punching and it felt better. I watched him kick out at it with him also throwing in a few punches, letting him get out his anger and frustration.
Eventually he got tired and slumped down on the low wall next to him, his head in his hands, I sat down next to him and waited.
Oscar lifted his head up and looked at me, his eyes red. "Why Kittie? Why me? Hasn't the world had enough of making me suffer? My dad's presumed dead, my mum is an evil psychopath who's disowned me, I rarely stayed in one place for long since I was 5 and now to add to the horrendous wreck of my parents, I have to be bait in a trap to catch my mum and watch her get dragged away? How is that fair?"
I smiled sadly. "I know but we're teen spies. By definition our lives are complicated. Things will get better. Who knows, your dad may still be alive, you never know, and you have us. We'll be your new family, complete with crazy younger siblings. When bad stuff happens you just have to get on with it. Life's not all smooth sailing; you just have to keep going."
He smiled but I could still tell he was upset. "Look, you're not being asked to kill her or hurt her, just be here, alright?" He nodded and I smiled. "Come on, the quicker we find her, the quicker we can go home and just chill." I nudged him with my elbow. "It's my birthday in two days you know."
He smiled at me. "I know. With the way Michael's been going on about it and the little ones asking what I've got you, do you think I'd forget? Never ever," he replied, tapping me on the nose. He jumped to his feet and helped me to mine. "Alright, the Director wants us to divide and conquer so conquer we shall. I'll go this way and you go that way?" he asked, pointing east to a path I could take.
I nodded, ignoring the feeling of disappointment that he hadn't kissed me at that point. Professional before myself. "Sounds like a plan to me."
The two of us split up and I was left alone with my thoughts, again.
I wandered around in the direction Oscar had suggested and wondered what was going to happen next. I hoped I wouldn't find her but then I hoped Oscar wouldn't find her. I knew how upset he was just being here. To be honest I didn't want anyone to be here. I would much rather be at home with my family than chase around a killer turn-coat spy in a very over-grown yard.
"Well, well. What do we have here?" came a sneering voice from behind me, one I unfortunately recognised as well.
I groaned inwardly; I'd been too wrapped up in my own thoughts again to notice her approach. It turned around slowly, knowing she probably had a weapon trained on me. All of SKUL hated me and could see why what with me usually messing up their plans one way or another. Most of them had taking to illegally carrying firearms or knives or something in case they came across me, she was no exception, and I was right.
She stood in front of me, shooting daggers from her eyes (not literally), a pistol trained on me – from the looks of it a Fort 14 from Ukraine. Jack liked guns although he wasn't ever allowed to take one home. Far too dangerous with the little ones.
"Miss Harper, we meet again."
"If only the circumstances were better," I replied, mentally trying to calculate the odds of me being able to disarm her and how that could happen.
She smirked. "From where I'm standing, the circumstances seem pretty good." She frowned slightly and I saw the gun dip. I wondered if now was the time to act. "Although, I seem to be here alone…"
Yep, now was a good time, although I did wonder why she was here even at all.
Or so I thought. As I took a step towards her, the sound of a stick breaking came from behind, startling here out of her thoughts. She turned her head and I moved forward, knowing that this was probably my last opportunity to get the gun from her. Unfortunately I had forgotten how quick she was. She snapped her head back and pointed the gun fully on me again. "Stay where you are or I'll shoot you," she snarled.
"No!" yelled Oscar, running up to me. I groaned. It was him who'd been behind. If this could get any worse, I really wanted to know how.
"Oscar?" she asked, staring at her son, looking rather shocked.
He put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed it gently. "I can't let you shoot her. She's part of my team."
"What are you doing?" I hissed. "Do you want to blow my cover? You'll get us both shot."
"I don't think she'll shoot me. She's still my mum," he whispered back.
"She's part of your team?!" she asked incredulously. She looked me up and down and smirked again. "Standards must be low because I've certainly got the upper hand here thanks to this little baby. It's a shame they won't let you kids have guns. I'm sorry Oscar but I can't have you or her defeat us so I'm going to have to shoot you both. Two for the price of one; must be my lucky day."
"I don't think so mum, at least not today."
All around came the click of guns being taken off of safety.
"Drop the gun and put your hands on your head. Colonel, you're under arrest," called the Director through a megaphone.
The Colonel looked around, flustered, and seeing she was outnumbered, lowered the gun onto the ground, muttering furiously about being betrayed by Millicent. Soldiers rushed in, guns pointed at her and handcuffed her hands behind her back. As she was taken away, she leant over and muttered "Next time I'll get my revenge and there won't be anyone there to help you." She was dragged away, taken back to hopefully rot for a long time in a cell at MI9.
Once she was gone, I buried my face in Oscar's shoulder. He stroked the wig. "Hey, Honey, what's wrong?"
"I was so scared," I mumbled, not lifting my head up. I wasn't sure why I had been so scared or even why I was reacting like this, especially when I was supposed to be Honey, not Kittie.
"It's alright to be scared Honey. You did have a gun pointed at you." He thought I was scared by the gun? Well I was but not really for me. I've been shot before and survived, I didn't think this time would be any different. I mean sure I would leave the little ones, actually that would be bad but really I was more scared for Oscar because it would be his mum.
I lifted my head up and looked at him. "I wasn't scared for me, I was scared for you. I thought she was going to shoot you." I would lose him either from him flipping out again or him dying.
He smiled and brushed the hair back behind my left ear. "She wasn't going to shoot me, and even if she had, I would have been fine because we're wearing the safety vests. She would have wanted to see me suffer so she would have shot me in the chest, so that my death would have been slow and painful. It would have been fine, I promise."
I smiled, knowing he was probably right. I looked at my watch. "Alright. Can we go home now please? It's still Sunday and the kids are gonna be running riot, plus I need to sort out stuff for Michael. You know it's his birthday in two days, and mine."
He grinned. "Is it really?" I punched him on the shoulder and tried to ignore the fact that this boy was making me lose my cover. "Alright then you," he said, wrapping an arm around my waist and then tickling me until I squealed. "Let's go home."
We left and I hoped we would never return there, ever.
