11
Every Dark Cloud
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Chapter 2
Sue tripped and would've fallen face first onto the sodden ground if she hadn't stuck out her hands to break her fall. She felt a twinge in her left wrist when it hit the ground.
"Are you all right?" asked Bobby helping her up.
"I'm fine," she said automatically, she nodded even though her wrist hurt. There was nothing that could be done in their present situation.
"Thanks," she said flashing a weary smile as she looked at his concerned face. "At least the rain will wash off the mud," she joked feebly.
A half-hearted smile was his response. He was worried. They'd been walking for what seemed like hours. The driving rain and the uphill climb made the walk back was far longer than he liked. With each step the fatigue and cold seeped through his drenched clothing. Although she hadn't complained, he knew Sue must be feeling the same. They needed to find shelter…and soon.
"Not much farther," Bobby said encouragingly his arm around her.
Plodding along he spotted what looked like the gravel path to the Pearson retreat. He nudged her.
"Almost there," he said encouragingly.
She nodded when she realized they had changed directions and were now walking on a relatively flat surface. She tried to pick up her pace but her feet refused to obey her.
The path seemed longer to him than their first trip but it could be because of the circumstances, he reasoned. All they needed to do was keep walking.
Thirty minutes later, he could see the outlines of a building up ahead. It wasn't Pearson's place—it was smaller and more rustic in appearance. At least it was shelter.
Bobby helped Sue up the two steps to the front door. He tried the doorknob—it was locked.
"You think…you think there's a key somewhere?" asked Sue.
"If there isn't, I'll have to break in."
She sneezed.
"Bless you," Bobby said automatically as he began his search.
"I'll look here," she said.
He was searching the ledge over the door when his long fingers felt something. "What have we here?" he muttered as he pulled the object down. "Success!" he said triumphantly.
In a minute, they were in. It was a relief to be out of the wind and rain. Closing the door behind them, they scanned the room. In the dim light they could make out pieces of furniture.
Bobby headed for the nearest lamp and flicked the switch. "Nothing," he gestured. "Pity." Glancing around, he spotted the fireplace.
"We can get a fire going," he commented as he dragged his sodden jacket off. The rain had made it very heavy. It landed in the corner with a solid thud.
"Good idea," she remarked as she noticed Bobby taking off his coat. Her stiffness from the cold and her sore wrist combined with the weight of the jacket made it difficult to take off.
"Here…let me help you," offered Bobby when he noticed her struggling.
"Thanks." She forced herself to contain her chattering teeth. "I feel twenty pounds lighter," she said lightly when it was off even as she shivered in the cold air. "What can I do to help?"
Bobby looked around the place. "Not as luxurious as the Pearson place but definitely comfortable. Why don't you check out the place while I start a fire?"
"Wh-what?" she asked stepping closer to see his lips.
He knew she was having difficulty reading his lips in the darkness. Damn! If there was ever a time that he needed to sign! He thought furiously how to get his message across.
"You…" he said pointing to her and then made a check mark in the air, "…check…" then pointed around the room, "…the place."
"You want me to check the place out?" she guessed.
He nodded.
"Okay. I can do that."
Bobby had the fire going by the time she finished her search. She shivered as she stood next to him.
"Cold?"
Her teeth were chattering so hard she could only nod. She sneezed again.
"Bless you…again." Standing up, he reached for her hands to rub them.
"Ow!" she cried out involuntarily jerking her left hand back.
"What's wrong?" he asked sharply.
"Nothing," she said quickly.
"Sue," he said warningly. "Let me see that." He held out his hand.
Reluctantly she placed her hand in his.
"It's my wrist," she admitted. "I think I hurt it when I fell."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't want to worry you."
"Well, I'm worried now," said Bobby as he gently manipulated the joint. "Hurts?"
She nodded as she bit her lip.
"Move your fingers."
She could albeit slowly.
"I don't think it's broken," he announced.
"Tha--a-choo!"
"Bless you! You definitely need to get out of those wet clothes before you catch a cold."
"What about you? You have that cough."
He was not about to admit he was chilled to the bone. "I'm fine," he said firmly. 'Find anything we could use?"
"Some canned goods and bottled water in the kitchen, blankets in the bedroom," she ticked off. "There's even a bathroom."
"Clothes?"
She shrugged. "An old flannel shirt."
"More than I expected."
"Ah-choo!"
Bobby eyed his companion. Despite the fire, she was still shivering. She needed to get out of those soggy clothes immediately. "Bless you again and hang on."
"Wh…?"
He disappeared into the other room before she could get her question out. Too tired to follow, she inched closer to the fire hoping to warm up.
"Here," said Bobby returning after a short while. He handed her a blanket and the flannel shirt. "Strip."
"Excuse me?"
"Take off your clothes."
"I know what strip means!" she responded indignantly. "I'm not going to do it."
"You're soaked to the skin, freezing cold and sneezing," he pointed out. "You need to get out of those clothes. You can put this on."
"And if I refuse?"
"I'll take off your clothes."
As he stared at her, he became very aware of how close she was standing and how her sodden clothing was plastered to her body revealing every curve. It was… disturbing.
"You wouldn't dare!"
"Wouldn't I?"
When she hesitated, he took a step towards her. He was so close he could smell the faint scent of vanilla that clung to her despite the rain.
"All right…all right. I'll do it," she said quickly as her fingers flew to the top button. When he didn't move, she jerked her head towards the other room. "If you don't mind…"
"I don't," he quipped.
At her indignant stare, a smirk appeared. "All right, all right. I can take a hint. Call when you're done. I want my turn in front of that fire, too."
In the bedroom, Bobby shivered away from the warmth of the fire. As quickly as he could, he stripped off his wet clothing and dried off shuddering as the cold air hit his bare skin. Quickly, he wrapped a blanket around his body. It felt good to be dry. It would be better to be warm. His hand on the knob, he hesitated. He hadn't heard Sue call. Had she finished changing? How long should he wait?
Sue bit her lip in frustration. She managed to peel off her wet slacks but the buttons on her blouse were too difficult to undo with only one hand and it was too wet to pull off easily. Should she call for help or just leave on her top…her very wet top?
Her dilemma was solved by the appearance of a blanket draped Bobby.
"Saw you standing here," he said nonchalantly. "Need some help?"
"I can't…I can't take off these darn buttons," she said self-consciously well aware her blouse barely came down to her hips.
"Difficult with one hand," he agreed. "I should've thought of that myself." He kept his eyes firmly on her face. "May I?"
"I…I…" Her face flushed with embarrassment.
"I promise to close my eyes if that'll help," he teased.
"Maybe I should close my eyes," she muttered.
Bobby grinned in response and waited.
"All right…go ahead," she capitulated wanting the whole situation to be over.
He tucked a corner of the blanket under his arm and began unbuttoning her shirt. "I can see why you had trouble," he remarked conversationally. "These are tiny."
There was no response. Conscious of her state of undress, Sue deliberately avoided eye contact while he unbuttoned her blouse. As she stared at his collarbone, she was keenly aware of how close they were standing. She could smell the faint traces of his aftershave…feel the tips of his fingers touching her as he slipped the buttons through the holes. Despite the flickering light from the flames, she could see the beginnings of a five o'clock shadow on his face.
"Sue?"
She felt his hand gently tilt her chin up.
"All done."
Before she could answer, she sneezed again.
"Out of those wet clothes now, Miss Thomas," he ordered making sure she could see his lips in the flickering firelight.
"Thanks, Bobby."
"My pleasure."
--
"Jack…it's 8:00 and Sue still isn't home yet," said a worried Lucy over the phone.
"Did you try calling her?"
"No answer."
"Did you try reaching Bobby?"
"He doesn't answer his cell or his home phone."
"Maybe they decided to stay over night somewhere. It's still coming down pretty heavily," suggested Jack trying to think of possibilities.
"But Sue would've called."
"Maybe they're still in the pocket Myles was talking about."
"I'm worried. Can't we do something?"
Jack looked outside at the pouring rain. "Not in this weather."
"How 'bout contacting this Pearson guy and finding out when they left?"
"His cell number is a closely guarded secret," Jack stated. "I don't know if the President could get it."
"There must be something we can do!" she wailed.
"There is."
"What?"
"Don't panic. They're probably nice and warm in some little motel until the storm blows over."
"I hope you're right."
I hope so, too, he thought. Out loud he said, "As soon as the rain lets up, I'll see what we can do."
"All right," she agreed reluctantly. She knew he was right but it was frustrating not being able to do anything except worry.
"They're fine," Jack reiterated.
"I'll remember you said that."
--
"You think they're worried about us?" Sue asked as they sat on the floor in front of the fire wrapped in their individual blankets. After a meal of canned soup they were finally feeling warm. Their dripping clothes were draped over the chairs.
"We've missed our last two check-in times." There was no signal on his cell phone or her Blackberry.
"Will they send out a search party?"
"Not in this weather." He looked at her. "Are you tired of my company already?"
"No. I thought you might be tired of mine."
"Not yet," he smiled. "Ask me again after a week."
"You know," began Sue, "when they told us at Quantico that shared experiences draw a team close, I don't think they had this situation in mind." She'd gotten over her earlier embarrassment but couldn't do a thing about her wayward thoughts.
"Perhaps it should be part of the team building exercises," he suggested. "I must admit this does inspire a certain sense of camaraderie."
"Is that what it's called?"
This could get dangerous, thought Bobby as he gazed at Sue. The glow of the fire cast a golden light on her face. The suppressed attraction he felt for her from day one returned with a vengeance. She looked…desirable.
As she watched for his response, she saw something in his expression that made her heart beat faster. "Bobby?"
"No," he said softly as his eyes caressed her face, "I could think of a lot of different words but I think under the circumstances it may be best to hold my tongue."
At the unspoken question in her eyes, he answered, "Propinquity forbids me from accurately describing the situation."
"Pro-what?"
"P-r-o-p-i-n-q-u-i-t-y," he finger spelled. "Pro-pin-quity."
"Pro-pin-quity," she mimicked carefully.
"That's right."
"What does it mean?"
"Um…nearness…closeness…between two parties that could lead to…possibilities."
"Oh," she murmured as she felt the twinge of attraction turn into a definite tug. She stared at Bobby. Possibilities…did he mean what she thought he meant because her mind was not harboring friendly thoughts at all. "Do you…do…" her question was interrupted by a huge yawn.
Instantly, the mood changed.
"Tired?" he asked solicitously.
"No! I'm fine! I re…re…" Another yawn punctuated her protest.
"Yea, you're fine all right," he said humoring her. "You're so fine you should rest all that fineness."
"Is that really a word?"
"Of course," he declared as he stood gathering his blanket around him. "You take the sofa."
"What about you?"
"I'll be fine. I can sleep anywhere."
That left an armchair or the floor neither of which would be as comfortable as the couch.
"No, you take the sofa. I can sleep anywhere, too."
"As senior agent on this case, I get to decide where we'll sleep," Bobby said firmly. "That means you will take the sofa and I'll have the armchair."
"But…."
"No buts. That's an order."
At the feisty spark in her eyes, he raised a finger to halt further argument. "We'll argue who sleeps where tomorrow but for now, you'll listen to me. Is that clear?"
The light cast by the flickering flames made it plain that she wasn't the only one tired.
"All right," she agreed contritely. "I'm sorry for being so thoughtless and inconsiderate."
A small smile played around his lips. "You? Thoughtless and inconsiderate? I think not. Go to sleep, Sue."
As she made herself comfortable, Bobby tended to the fire carefully banking it. Turning around, he saw her eyes were already closed. He walked over making sure the extra blankets were tucked securely around her. She was so tired she didn't even move when he brushed away the stray strands of hair behind her ear.
"Good night, Sue," he said softly and dropped a feather light kiss on her head.
He made his way over to an armchair and made himself as comfortable as possible. In minutes, he was fast asleep.
--
Her coughing woke him up. Groggily, he pulled himself out of the chair and grimaced as his muscles protested the sudden movement. He shivered when his feet hit the cold floor. Pulling the blanket closer, he moved towards Sue.
The coughing had stopped in those few steps. Her eyes were still closed. He was about to head back to the chair when he thought about the fire. He should tend to it since he was up. Sparks flew as the log hit the dying embers. His brow furrowed at the dwindling supply of firewood. Unless there was more logs somewhere, they would use the last one in the next day or two.
His thoughts were interrupted by another spasm of coughing. This time Sue woke up. He hurried over to help her as she struggled to sit up. Rubbing her back, he waited until the fit was over.
"Are you all right?" he asked worriedly smoothing a lock of hair behind her ear.
"What did you say?" She was still half asleep.
"You okay?" Now that was a sign he knew.
"I'm okay," she said tiredly. "Just a little cough."
"How 'bout some water?"
She couldn't answer. Another spasm of coughing came upon her.
Bobby brought back a half full bottle of water. "It really should be hot," he told her as he handed it to her. He watched her like a hawk in case she needed help. She took a couple of sips.
"Okay?"
She nodded. "Thanks. I guess my throat was dry."
"More?"
"I'm okay."
"I hope you're not coming down with a cold."
"Excuse me?"
He repeated his words.
"It's only a cough, Bobby."
"Maybe you should sit up and sleep," he suggested remembering what his mother had done when he and his brother were ill.
"Hmm?" she murmured half asleep already.
For an answer, he reached out and put his arm around her shoulder.
"Bobby?"
He gently pulled her towards him and wrapped his other arm around her. "Try to get some rest," he said quietly even though he knew she couldn't see his lips.
She was too weary to protest. Snuggling closer, she promptly fell back asleep. Nodding in satisfaction, he went to sleep, too.
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