I HAVE WIFI! Turns out there's wifi where I'm staying, so you lucky people get this chapter nice and early. Don't be dismayed at the title, my end note will bring hope.
Chapter 50 - Epilogue
After six months of rushing about, of running a thousand and one things through her head to keep things in check and keep up with the increased workload from MJN, and the albeit pleasant hassle of helping Martin truly move in and settle into her – their flat, these few days off were like an oasis nestled in between the roaring sands of a desert storm.
It had been six months exactly since the four of them had sat down and discussed how to save MJN, and Deborah felt confident in saying that the company was well and truly saved…more or less. So a lull in bookings had left Carolyn to declare that they could have the week to themselves, which was perfect, sublime even, as it gave Deborah the opportunity to really enjoy the comfortable swing that her life had settled into.
Of course, Martin took the week off as an opportunity to work a van job or two, but Deborah couldn't deny him that; he was at home most of the time, so a few hours here and there weren't an issue.
As if that hadn't been enough to buoy Deborah's spirits like feather light clouds fluffing and rippling with each passing mood, as if the dreary doubt that usually hung about her like a cloak had vanished, Arthur had decided to plan a celebratory dinner in the middle of the week; it couldn't be called a surprise, as it had ingeniously coincided with Carolyn's thrilled remark a week before that they had broken even.
Now that was a miracle.
MJN had actually completed a flight, and made it back to Fitton, not in debt – never in the years that Deborah had worked for Carolyn, had they ever made a profit, but simply managed to scrape enough to pay the bills.
It was impossible to deny the utter joy that had radiated through the porta-cabin that day, as if the pride of having their hard work pay off was akin to having their own sun, their own nuclear reactor filling the crew with energy.
So a celebration was in order, and no one had tried to dissuade Arthur; in fact, it was such a momentous occasion that Herc was taking a few days off from his busy life at Swiss Air, and Verity had an excuse to stay for the week. Deborah couldn't help but feel as if her good mood could never be punctured, carried as she was by the utter joy that the thought of having her partner and her daughter all living under one roof for a while brought…like a proper little family.
Deborah, Martin, and Verity; she had never loved them more.
Today though, Deborah kept herself in check, and went about her morning with a smile on her face, behaving herself and pottering restlessly about, while Martin departed for a van job in Nottingham; then at noon, Verity arrived with her father, and after a quick hug and a nosy around to see where Martin was, disappeared into the kitchen, only just out of sight.
Talking to Chris was always…a strain. They got along well enough, (when Deborah thought about it, better than she had ever got along with Harry) and there had once been a spark, albeit one soaked in fine wines and whiskey, but there was something about sharing a child, yet not quite sharing, that was difficult to move on from. Today however, he seemed to be in a generous mood, and though they didn't move further than the open doorway, him on the outside, Deborah inside, he spoke hastily yet steadily about some important decisions that he had been making in light of recent months.
"So although I've sat down and spoken to the social worker, and she seemed very positive about the whole thing, I'd rather we worked something about ourselves, without having to involve the authorities." Chris explained calmly, his arms boxed in the universal show of reason as his palms moved steadily through the air.
"I agree." Deborah remarked shortly, unwilling to speak as freely as she might normally for fear of shattering the odd peace that had settled between them; she leant sideways against the doorframe, arms folded over her chest, drawing some small comfort from the solidity supporting her, "The last thing I want is to drag our daughter through all sorts of legal proceedings when we both want what's best for her."
"Exactly. I know that we haven't always been on the best of terms, but I never kept her away from you to be cruel; it was all to keep Verity safe." Chris explained, his steady voice doing nothing to mask the guilt that shimmered over his every movement and behind the dull light in his eyes, "Now that you've got a stable home environment and career, and your relationship allows for two responsible adults, there's no reason why we can't split her time a little more."
"Yes, thank you." Deborah nodded in acknowledgement, swallowing back her retort; this was the most important ground that they had broken over the subject in years, and she wasn't going to let herself mess it up, but instead, cling to the flicker of hope in her chest, as the past few months had taught her that that wasn't always a pointless thing to do, "Everything's good, and Verity likes being here."
"She's definitely warmed to Martin." Chris remarked dryly, his eyebrows dipping as if that were a point of much significance; Verity had always loved Martin, which was a good thing in Deborah's opinion.
"Which you approve of?" Deborah inquired, forcing a pleasant and nonchalant tone, and trying not to let herself feel the prickling of nerves in her stomach at the potential implications of Chris's statement.
"Yeah, he's alright." Chris replied flippantly, batting his hand through the air; just like that, an iron ring disappeared from around Deborah's lungs, and she could breathe again, "That last bloke you had wasn't good for you, and Verity could tell; Martin on the other hand…he's…um…well he's…"
"He's what?" Deborah retorted, quirking an eyebrow at him; she had heard that same sentence end in hundreds of ways, not all of them positive…not many of them positive, and she was ready to defend Martin if she had to. Someone had to, at least in public.
"He's a good bloke." Chris concluded, grimacing sheepishly at his own impoliteness as he shoved his hands into his pockets and sighed, "I still haven't quite figured him out, but he seems…decent. And like I said, Verity likes him, and he seems very fond of her, you both seem happy, so…there's no reason that you couldn't provide as stable a family structure as Lizzie and I do."
"I'll pretend not to hear what you're implying." Deborah remarked, rolling her eyes; she was about to say more, but just then the clunking rumble of Martin's van punctuated the air, and it's slightly mottled exterior rattled into view, trundling down the road towards them, "Oh, hold on – there he is."
Chris turned on his heel at the sound, and leaned back against the door frame to watch the van trundle to a stop just beside the driveway, peering down his nose with a curious expression on his face; thankfully, he was too much of a private man to inquire, so Deborah simply shifted from where she had been leaning, and smiled past him as Martin appeared, frazzled and clumsy, from the van's interior, and hurried towards the flat.
He was later than he had said that he would be, but Deborah was well aware that his jobs almost never ran to time, and so wasn't nearly as annoyed by that fact as Martin always seemed to think that she was.
"Hello, h-hi!" Martin gasped, as if out of breath, as he strode straight past Chris with only a nod and pulled Deborah into a one-armed hug that she returned fleetingly, but allowed him to step back in the doorway, his arm still slung over her shoulder; chances were, he had been working himself up for the last hour of his drive, "Sorry, I was meant to be back earlier, b-but my van job ran over, and I got stuck on the motor way-"
"It's fine darling," Deborah assured him, patting his upper arm lightly and pressing a small kiss to his cheek, before trying to pull him closer to her side, and as a result further into the house; this was most definitely not so that she could feel some sort of united front against Chris, who was not a threat of any kind to her happiness, "come out of the doorway."
"Oh, sorry- hello." Martin stuttered suddenly, as he realised that he had so rudely barged past the other man; his cheeks flushed scarlet, and he held out his hand for Chris to shake, clearing his throat awkwardly as the proceedings ended, "Sorry, Chris, hello; how are you?"
"I'm alright thanks." Chris replied brightly, awkwardly, Deborah thought, as he rocked back on his heels; as the arm around her shoulder tightened imperceptibly, Deborah couldn't help but wish that Martin could employ some of his swaggering confidence where this part of her life was concerned, "Just had some important things to talk over with Debbie, but I reckon that's all covered now."
"Th-that's good," Martin remarked, plastering on a cheerful smile that didn't quite cover his nerves; despite this, he had been making an effort to try and extend the hand of friendship, for his sake or hers Deborah didn't know, "are you um…are you leaving straight away or are you staying for a coffee and a bite to eat – o-or a drink?"
"I think he wanted to get home before night fell." Deborah cut in, before Chris had to act on the strained light that entered his eyes; truth be told, she didn't particularly like the idea of spending more time than necessary with the man, even though she appreciated Martin's efforts.
"Yeah, I was only dropping Verity off." Chris corroborated, nodding slowly and pressing his lips together; then he seemed to seize, as if afraid that he might have insulted Martin, as ridiculous a thought as that was, and continued, "But I'm coming back at the end of the week for her, and Debbie and I were planning to have a proper chat and sort some things out – you could join us if you'd like."
"I-I wouldn't want to impose if it's something important." Martin replied quickly, shaking his head and dragging his bottom lip through his teeth, though Deborah could see that he was itching to know what was going on, as his jittering seemed to still somewhat.
"Nonsense Martin, you wouldn't be imposing." Deborah interjected, with a jauntiness that wasn't entirely forced, as she slipped her arm around Martin's waist and brought them closer together, until she had to tip her head back to meet his gaze; important decisions had to be made, and she wanted him by her side when they were.
"Are you sure?" Martin asked, peering between the two of them, his eyebrows knitted in the centre of his forehead; there was something wonderfully hopeful about the lilt in his voice.
"It's about Verity." Chris told him, unaffected by Martin's flustering and stuttering; if she wasn't mistaken, Deborah thought that he was employing the same techniques that he used on the children in his junior classes, "You seem like you're going to be a permanent fixture here, so it's probably a good idea that you know what's going on."
"B-but that's family stuff." Martin insisted; he just couldn't relinquish the need to obstruct his own way, choosing propriety over what he actually wanted to be doing, "I don't really get a say."
"If her step-mother gets a say in how my daughter's raised, so do you." Deborah muttered in his ear, keeping one eye on Chris's reaction as she leaned up on her toes and slipped closer to Martin, making no effort to keep her voice down; she was only going to be so welcoming, and not much more.
"Oh, alright." Martin agreed after a moment of tittering, as he rubbed his hand over the back of his neck and continued to smile awkwardly, appearing more like a caricature than an airline pilot, "In that case, I-I'll be there – or here, actually."
"Good." Chris acknowledged, nodding with the expression of a sailor seeing the first speck of land in months, an over-reaction if there had ever been one, as he slid his hand through his dark hair, then over his stubbly chin, "I better be off now." He continued, the epitome of smooth yet uncomfortable professionalism; then he peered past Deborah's shoulder, and called into the flat, "Verity, come and say goodbye before I go!"
A small clunk was followed by the reluctant puttering of bare feet on the kitchen floor, and a moment later, Deborah turned to see Verity wandering past through the sitting room, idly flicking the fluttering skirt of her dress; turning ten had done nothing to curb her independent streak, but it had added about five inches to the girl, and instilled a little more impatience with the world, and a little less frantic excitement.
Verity may have been able to form coherent sentences and maintain a string of proper conversation now (her chatterbox tendencies hadn't died down, as she was ever so interested in the adult world), but she was also far more absorbed in her own little world now that she could just about make her own decisions.
Dismissive farewells due to a lack of understanding over what absence actually was had made way to dismissive farewells due to an understanding that they'd see each other later, so if Chris had been expecting his daughter to hurry to bid him farewell, he was sorely mistaken, as instead, Verity's eyes fell upon Martin, and her face lit up as her sluggish flounce turned into a giddy skip.
"Martin!" Verity exclaimed as she hurled herself into Martin's arms, hard enough to make him stumble from Deborah's embrace and over the threshold of the flat, although he made a valiant effort at staying upright.
"Oomph!" it sounded as if the air left Martin's chest as the little girl barrelled into him, but he nevertheless wrapped his arms around her and gave her a quick squeeze, before holding her grinning self at arm's length; Martin glanced apologetically at Chris, who simply smiled thinly, "Hello, I-uh, I think your dad wanted you actually."
"Bye Daddy," Verity sighed, turning to face her father, and stepping away from Martin to stand in front of Deborah, whose hands dropped down to rest on her shoulders, "I'll see you at the end of the week."
"Even so, give me a hug you pest." Chris instructed fondly, crouching down to receive her; Deborah, taking pity on him, gave Verity a little nudge towards him.
"Fine." Verity groaned, but she fell forwards into Chris's arms and gave him a cuddle without complaint; she wriggled a bit and tried to escape, but he held her still for a moment longer than she wanted, until she gave in, "Love you."
"Love you too." Chris replied, and with that, he let her stumble backwards and rose to his feet, shoving his hands back into his pockets.
"Okay." Verity nodded sagely, but otherwise ignored the declaration; instead, she turned her back on the doorway and extended her hand to Martin, who had been standing back watching against the doorframe, "Martin, can you come with me? I have some important things to talk to you about, in the kitchen."
"Alright." Martin conceded, when glancing between Deborah and Chris offered no alternative; he let Verity take his hand and begin leading him away, and only stopped at Deborah's side to press a brief kiss to her cheek, his free hand tracing the line of her elbow.
"See you in a minute." Deborah called after him, as the two of them disappeared into the kitchen area; then she turned back to Chris, who had been waiting patiently, and found that there was little else to say that hadn't been said before, and could do without repeating, "Well, goodbye then; drive safe."
"Will do." Chris assured her, and his lips curled up uncomfortably, and he extracted one hand from his pocket to wave awkwardly; then he turned on his heel, and Deborah could only watch his back grow smaller until it was hidden within his car, unable to feel much more than a relief like a breath of fresh air at his absence.
This was as good as they were ever going to get, Deborah mused, with an irrefutable certainty; in truth, there wasn't even a part of her that wanted to try and repair things between them. All she needed to be happy was currently in the kitchen, conversing in hushed tones that only just carried through to the hall, growing only a fraction louder at the sound of the front door clacking shut.
As Deborah strolled through to the kitchen, it was to find Martin and Verity on opposite sides of the table, Martin nodding along as the girl muttered something incomprehensible, hand against her lips as if to hide the subject matter.
"What secrets are you filling Martin's head with?" Deborah inquired dramatically, as she came to a stop, leaning back against one of the counters so that she could look down on the two of them, and folding her arms neatly at her front.
"Only what I listened to you and Daddy saying." Verity replied instantly, barely flinching as Martin lurch back imperceptibly, straightening his back as if standing to attention, "It's about me, so I'm allowed to know, even if you tried to stop me."
"I thought I heard someone eavesdropping." Deborah remarked, rolling her eyes in despair and shaking her head; she knew that she should have been annoyed, but she couldn't help but be rather proud of her daughter's affinity for bending the rules, and how quick she was becoming at devising excuses.
"Oh, am I not allowed to know this?" Martin asked suddenly, as if he might be overstepping some sort of line; once upon a time, Deborah might have scolded him for being so slow to acclimatise, but now that he had mostly settled into the rhythm of life with her, it was easier to let him go at his own pace.
"No, it's alright." Deborah assured him, quirking an eyebrow at him until the tension left his shoulders, and he was watching her from over the back of his seat, "Chris and I were just discussing sharing out Verity's time more evenly; of course during term time she can only stay here on very rare weekends, because of school-"
"Because I learn better when I'm not tired from driving." Verity chipped in seriously; she must have been giving the matter a lot of thought, "But every now and then it's okay for me to be a bit sleepy in class."
"Is that so?" Martin remarked indulgently, smiling across the table at Verity, who grinned and nodded in return.
"Hmmm." Deborah hummed in acknowledgement, and let her eyes wander between the two of them, relishing the pleasant buzz of affection that simmered in her chest, "So, she can't stay with us often when she's at school, but during half terms and holidays, her father has decided that it would be acceptable for us to split the time fifty fifty, be it during one break, or by allocating him Easter, and me Christmas, or vice versa."
"Doing it alternatively." Verity agreed, leaning across the table to tap the side of Martin's hand with her own, and pointedly hold his gaze, "I can spell that as well, because I'm top of my class in spelling even the longest words."
"Wow, that's impressive." Martin replied, sounding genuinely amazed by her abilities; it was things like that, like Martin's ability to put up with her daughter's showing off whenever he was around, that compounded just how deeply Deborah felt for him. She had made the right decision in taking him back.
The way that Martin was looking at her now, Deborah knew that he wanted to say something, but wouldn't with Verity there; that was no issue, the girl was easily distracted.
"Verity dear, how about you go and get a book so that you can prove just how good you are at long words." Deborah suggested, nodding towards the front room, and the hall to which it led; there was no way that she would turn down a chance to show off in front of Martin.
"I'll get a really difficult one." Verity replied before a second had elapsed, her eyes widening as her brow crinkled in thought; then she hopped from her chair, and hurried across the room, calling over her shoulder, "Wait a moment…"
Martin waited long enough for the door to the hall to swing open before his eyes fell on Deborah, and he turned until he was sideways in his chair.
"Are you going to be alright?" he asked, his voice lowered with concern as the bridge of his nose pinched and he ran his eyes over Deborah's face; she looked away from where she had watched her daughter skip away, and met Martin's gaze, smiling perhaps a little too brightly.
"Yes, of course I will be; it's a good thing that we're doing this." Deborah answered truthfully; it just so happened that the truth and one's emotions never quite tallied up, but that was a matter for another day, and a battle never to be fought, "But, I'll admit, it'll be far easier for me with you there."
"Don't worry I will be." Martin promised, confidently enough that Deborah could only grin back down at him; then he blushed lightly, and ducked his head as he cleared his throat and said, "I-um, thank you…for including me in this; it's – I'm flattered that you've um-"
"Martin, put it out of your mind." Deborah instructed warmly, batting her hand through the air and imitating the wafting away of a pesky insect; then she stepped towards him, and as Martin leaned back in response, lowered herself down to rest across his lap, back against the back of the table as his arms shifted over her legs to keep her in place, "Until the end of the week, all I want to think about is spending time with my daughter, and my wonderful partner."
"You really are in a good mood." Martin murmured sardonically, his eyebrows rising to his hairline as Deborah's fingers traced through the ginger ruffles that hung over his brow; his arms moved again, his hand sliding around for his palm to press lightly at her back.
"That I am." Deborah replied softly, ducking her head down; she didn't quite kiss him, but brushed the tip of her nose against Martin's, beaming affectionately as he returned the gesture.
Then the hall door banged open, and the both of them turned their heads in time to see Verity marching back across the room with two hefty books cradled in her arms, one lying open atop the other as her eyes scanned the daintily printed words on its pages.
"Right, I looked through all of your books, but I decided that the easiest way to find long words was just to bring the dictionary," Verity explained, as she ignored the adults and swung the books onto the kitchen table, clambering back onto her seat and scrunching her face up with effort, "and this…encyle-oh…pedya…peedeea."
oOoOoOo
The day of Arthur's celebration rolled around, after a couple of wonderful days spent lounging about the flat with Verity and Martin, and even convincing Martin to accompany them to the cinema to watch a film that Verity had been nagging about since the evening of her arrival.
It was an afternoon gathering on the airfield, and Arthur was the one who had arranged it, so there was no need to dress up, but Verity had insisted upon wearing her smartest dress while Martin dressed down into jeans, and Deborah flung his fleece over her own dress; overall, Deborah could honestly say that when they parked outside of the porta-cabin, she was in a thoroughly good mood, tingling almost with the content fluttering that heated her chest and warmed her veins with the movement of her pulse.
As the three of them climbed out of the car, and Deborah locked the doors, she watched over the hood as Verity turned in front of Martin, and dragged her hands down her dress, tweaking it here and there.
"Do I look alright?" Verity asked, pouting slightly as she twirled around, trying to inspect the back of her dress as it whipped around her knees.
"You look beautiful." Martin answered, smiling indulgently down at her, and patting her awkwardly on the head as he turned back to him with a wide eyed, and very pleased, expression on her face.
"Good, let's go." Verity replied shortly, and before Martin could say another word, she had turned on her heel and started skipping towards the porta-cabin, humming a light tune under her breath; she had reached the door and slipped inside before either of them had time to react.
Martin waited for Deborah to round the car before he began walking, slinking close enough for his arm to bump into hers, and then when she felt the soft yet coarse skin of his palm brushing against her knuckles, he wound their fingers together. Deborah smirked fondly up at him, as she leaned into his side and walked at a slow pace with him, tilting her head back to meet his gaze.
"You also look beautiful." Martin noted, with the chippy little lilt of his voice that he made when he felt awfully proud of himself for remembering to perform a scheduled task; she had no doubt that he probably meant the feeling behind the compliment, but he was still a fool.
"I'm wearing your fleece over my dress." Deborah retorted wryly, quirking her eyebrow up at him and giving his hand a little squeeze; regardless of the charming shade of his cheeks and the lovely shimmering in her chest, charged from hours of innocent flirting as they listened to Verity clomp about the flat deciding on her outfit, false flattery would get him nowhere.
"And you look beautiful doing it." Martin continued primly, giving her a curt little nod and tipping his nose just so into the air, as a stubborn smirk threatened to tug at the corner of his lips; he swayed as he walked, tucking in a little closer to Deborah as they made their sluggish way to the porta-cabin.
"Oh, come on." Deborah scoffed, nudging him playfully in the side, before softening her tone and leaning her cheek against his shoulder; the man didn't half know how to win her over, "You can't be so soppy, I've got to get through the whole afternoon."
"Well, if that's how you're feeling…" Martin murmured deviously, leaning down so that his lips were close enough to brush Deborah's ear, "there's no reason we couldn't let Arthur entertain Verity for a bit, and sneak off together when the celebration's really heating up. The airfield's mostly empty today…"
"Oh, naughty Captain Crieff." Deborah gasped in mock astonishment, though she almost ground to a halt and dragged her eyes down Martin's face, her tongue darting out to wet her lips; oh, she did love it when he was in this kind of mood, "That's not a bad idea actually…I'll tell you what…you keep saying such lovely things to me, and I'll consider your proposition."
Martin's only response was to smirk, and to bite down on his bottom lip, tugging gently on Deborah's hand to get her moving again, as he hummed in pleasurable agreement; perhaps the celebration wouldn't be too dull after all.
When they reached the porta-cabin, having to break apart so that Deborah could shoulder the door as it jammed in recompense for having admitted her daughter free of impediment, Deborah was surprised to see that it was only Arthur and Verity inside, the both of them crowded around the conjoined desks, which had been cleared and were now covered in plates hugged in tin-foil, a couple already open.
At the sight of them, Verity skipped over to Deborah while Martin took her fleece and proceeded to walk away to hang it and his coat on the stand by the door, paper plate in hand, and tiny little sandwich triangles already munched and stacked atop it.
"Mummy, it's just Arthur here," Verity explained, gesturing careless over her shoulder to where Arthur was glancing over his shoulder, and adding the finishing touches in his arrangement of dishes, "so I've been helping him sort out the food for later."
"That's not all you've been doing to the food is it, now?" Deborah replied wryly, placing her hands on her hips and smirking down at the little girl; the effect was lost however, as Verity merely shrugged, and skipped away again, drawn like a magnet to the desks, where she could peek at leisure underneath the tin foil.
"Hi chaps!" Arthur chirped, just as Deborah felt Martin appear as a solid, very warm presence at her shoulder, pressed close enough that had she chosen to lean, he might have toppled like a domino; Arthur was wearing the crinkled look of intense focus that came with his most 'skilled' stewarding, "Mum's not here yet, because she's picking Herc up from the airport and his flight was delayed. But they'll be here soon."
"That's alright, we can wait." Martin responded brightly, surreptitiously slipping his arm around Deborah's waist, and then retracting as he peered around her, towards the pile of his office things that were tucked behind his desk, "I think there are actually some things-"
"You can finish your paperwork another day." Deborah scolded him lightly, slapping down the hand that was curling around her shoulder as if to propel him towards the undeniable need to work; ignoring Arthur's curious stare, she whispered in his ear, "If I see you in your desk today, then I won't be considering anything."
"Message received." Martin replied hastily, straightening up as his hands moved as if to smooth out the lapels of a jacket that wasn't there; he plastered on a cheerful smile, and asked, "Do you need a hand Arthur?"
"Aw, thanks, that would be great." Arthur sighed gratefully, and strode back to the desks, Martin hot on his heels as Deborah followed more slowly, coming to stand at the end of the desks while Arthur waved his hands over the dishes that definitely looked well searched through by little hands, "I'm not entirely sure what's in all of these containers, because I didn't actually cook any of them myself."
"Oh, thank the lord!" Deborah groaned, meeting Martin's eyes across the desks, while Arthur carried on oblivious to her relief; a proper caterer was all that was needed to ensure that Arthur's party actually went the way that he intended it to.
oOoOoOo
It was a few hours before Carolyn arrived, but she did it in a typical fashion; Deborah had commandeered the sofa, which was hers by right, and she was comfortably perched on one end, while Verity sat back with her feet up on the other, a plate of various mini quiches wobbling on her lap. As it was, neither of them looked up too quickly when the door to the porta-cabin flumped open with a crack.
"Oh, you're all here." Carolyn huffed as she pulled the door shut behind her, sans Herc, and proceeded to throw her coat over the hook by the door and come to a stop in the centre of the room, "If you need someone to blame for us being late, he's still outside, fussing over the car, something about efficient use of space…"
"You mean Herc doesn't stand for your tendency to park wherever you damn well please?" Deborah inquired, adopting a facsimile of surprise and placing her hand over her heart; she glanced at her daughter as the little girl slid from the sofa and scurried to the desks laden with food, but wasn't too bothered when she heard a light clinking fill the air.
"There are only five regular users of a car park that can hold thirty." Carolyn retorted blithely, reaching out to grab Arthur's wheelie chair and park herself on it; Deborah scoffed under her breath, unable to completely muffle a smirk as her sights focused in on Verity reappearing in her peripheral vision, arms outstretched and hands wrapped around a glass, "If I want to park with plenty of room outside my own office, then I will do so."
"Ms Knapp-Shappey, would you like some of this champagne?" Verity's high pitched little voice punctuated the otherwise taut atmosphere, and Carolyn glanced down at where the girl was standing smiling brightly at her elbow, with an expression of surprise, "I poured it specially for you."
"Thank you dear, I think I will." Carolyn replied politely, receiving the glass from Verity and watching her skip back to the desks, where the clinking started up again; it was amazing, Deborah thought, how soft Carolyn could make herself given the right motivation, not that it ever lasted long, as a moment later, the older woman was glaring at the empty spaces, "Where have Arthur and Martin scuttled off to?"
"They're in your office debating whether to bring the cakes out with the drinks and nibbles, or to leave them there where it's cool." Deborah answered, rolling her eyes as she nodded towards the closed door of Carolyn's office, and kicked her legs up onto the sofa; it had been twenty minutes already, since she had last seen either man.
"Does it matter?" Carolyn asked, narrowing her eyes at the wooden slab of the door, and sipping on her champagne.
"I try not to delve too far into either man's mind for fear of losing mine." Deborah drawled, smirking as Carolyn let out a little exhale that might have been a laugh, if optimism was to be employed.
"A wise decision." Carolyn agreed, rolling her eyes and settling back into Arthur's chair, crossing one ankle over the other as she tore her eyes from her office and looked instead to where Verity was pouring another drink.
Just then, the main door swung open again, smoothly this time, and Herc appeared in the space left behind, wrapped in a coat that he must have been using to fight the chill in Switzerland, it was so large, letting the door fall closed behind him.
"Hello all!" Herc announced cheerfully; then he actually took in the lazy set-up, and his brow wrinkled in bewilderment, as he shirked his coat, "Or just you two…I was expecting your gathering to have rather more gathering."
"Excuse me." Verity piped up, at Herc's elbow before Deborah even saw her move, champagne glass held in her palms; at the sound, Herc's expression morphed into one of endeared surprise, and he crouched down so that they were on the same level, wincing slightly as his hand shot out to press at his back, "Would you like some champagne?"
"Oh, thank you, Sweetheart." Herc exclaimed warmly, beaming as the glass was passed to him, and he then passed it to the other palm and extended his hand for her to shake, "I don't think we've met before; I'm Herc."
"I'm Verity," Verity replied curtly, nodding her head politely, before turning to point across the room at Deborah, who was watching with a restrained sense of pride at how grown up her daughter looked; and yet, for all of her manners, she still introduced herself in the same way that she had since she was four, which was perfect really, "and that's my Mum, over there."
"Now her I have met." Herc replied wryly, bending his knees so that he could rise to his full height once again; nevertheless, his head remained pointed downwards, and he gave Verity the full scope of his attention, like the text book depiction of how to function with children.
"Are you Ms Knapp-Shappey's friend?" Verity inquired unabashedly, never one to waste the chance to interrogate whomever might fall under her radar; she had always been a curious…or rather, nosy child, but since she had decided (to Deborah's despair) that actually being a detective really was something she wanted to do, she had developed a tendency to collect as much information as possible about everyone she knew, "The one that lives in Switzerland?"
"Yes, I am." Herc answered, glancing fleetingly over Verity's shoulder as if to ask Deborah for help; not that she was going to give it, even if he had asked for it with a verbal plea and the promise of compensation.
"Is there a lot of Swiss chocolate there?" Verity asked seriously, narrowing her eyes at him and placing her hands together so that her fingertips met their counterparts, "Or do you not have a lot because you fly away from Switzerland all the time?"
"I, um…" Herc stalled, mouth opening and then closing again as his eyebrows knitted together; Verity was definitely going to get a treat the next day, Deborah mused with a surge of pride, just for making Herc falter as she had never seen him do before. To make it even better, he didn't even have a chance to reply, as the door to Carolyn's office clunked open, and Arthur bumbled through it, his arms laden with clumsily stacked cakes.
"Mum, Herc, you're here." Arthur noted, as he moved further into the room and heaved more cakes than six people could feasibly eat onto the desks, beside the still highly filled plates of savoury snacks, "Finally!"
"The roads were busy I take it?" Martin greeted them as he followed in Arthur's footsteps, having to peer around the pile of round biscuit tins that were cradled in his arms; Deborah immediately swung her legs down and strode across the room to take to top of the pile from Martin's arms, receiving the heavy weight just as Verity whizzed behind her, towards the cakes that Arthur was laying out.
"One would hope that that was the reason." Carolyn sighed, rolling her eyes; however, she didn't complain when Herc rolled a chair that he had found up beside hers, and sat just a fraction too close for Deborah to be comfortable with without her back turned and her hands occupied with carefully lowering her tins beside Martin's.
"Ah…" Martin grimaced sympathetically, then placed one hand on his hip, as he rubbed at the back of his neck and ran his eyes over the desk, squinting as if mentally calculating, "Verity, you couldn't help me carry the rest of the cakes out could you?"
"Okay." Verity chirped, and before Martin could so much as move a muscle, she had vanished into the office; chuckling slightly, he followed her in, leaving the door open behind them.
"Brilliant!" Arthur declared in a business-like fashion, clapping his hands together and surveying the extraordinarily organised nature of his arrangements, a contented smile adorning his lips, "Now we're all here, we can make a start on the food, and just enjoy each other's company."
"I can already see this afternoon going swimmingly." Deborah drawled, as she crossed the room and passed behind the pair of wheelie chairs; as she passed, she ducked down to mutter in Carolyn's ear, "Any ideas on how to spice things up?"
"Don't tempt me." Carolyn replied tartly, exchanging with Deborah a caustic, nearly tired glance, as she rolled her shoulders back and made herself comfortable, speaking loudly enough that Herc could probably overhear her, "I've already plotted one murder today, I can plot another."
oOoOoOo
The six of them, despite any doubts that Deborah might have had, actually managed to make it through hours without any of them giving up and going home; it couldn't be called a party, but it was rather nice to be able to mill about and talk to whoever took their fancy, chatting about nothing in particular.
By six in the evening, Arthur was sat in a sort of circle with Carolyn and Herc, while Martin mooched about, and Deborah sat on the sofa with Verity at her side, one arm around her daughter; it was nice, and she had to admit, she was quite enjoying the relaxed hum that resonated throughout her chest and made happy little ripples trickle through her stomach.
At that moment in particular, Deborah was monitoring Verity as the little girl inspected a small glass of champagne that she held in her hands, before she lifted it to her mouth; the liquid barely touched her lips before she thrust the glass away from her, and her face pinched in disgust.
"Ew, no, that's horrible." Verity spat, as her face puckered and she smacked her lips to get the taste away; Deborah took the offered glass and placed it on the floor, trying not to laugh lest she be scolded for not taking her daughter's angst seriously, "I don't want any more."
"That's alright dear," Deborah assured her, pulling her a little closer to press a kiss to the top of her head; now that that plan was successfully executed, she pointed towards where Arthur was making rounded hand gestures for Herc's sake, under Carolyn's despairing scrutiny, "you go and chat."
No more encouragement was needed for Verity to bound away from the sofa and inject herself into the conversation, popping up between Herc and Carolyn's chairs and resting her arms on the back of both; her space was filled almost immediately by Martin, whose feet hooked beneath Deborah's where they lay crossed on the floor, though he remained hunched forwards, leaving barely a few inches between them.
"Are you letting her drink champagne?" Martin inquired, nodding towards where Verity was watching Arthur, rapt with attention; there was no judgement in his voice, and Deborah hadn't felt guilty, but that didn't stop her from feeling just a tad defensive all the same, despite how Martin's words also stirred up a wash of affection for him, and his worrying head.
"Only a sip." Deborah replied, taking care to sound confident, to show that she knew what she was doing, as she allowed Martin his moment of conspiratorial leaning, and leant forwards, wrists resting on her knees, to meet him, "She didn't like it."
"Is that wise?" Martin asked, his eyebrows meeting in the middle as he drew his bottom lip through his teeth; then he seemed to realise what he was saying, and blushed furiously, "I-I'm not questioning your parenting, but, um, given your own disposition…and her age…"
"It's alright Martin, I've got it all worked out." Deborah explained, letting her eyes linger on her daughter for a second more before she met Martin's eyes, considering for thr thousandth time what a lovely shade of blue they were, "I read on some website, that what pushes most young people to drink is the taboo that surrounds it; if it's forbidden, then the moment they turn eighteen, they binge until…well, until they're as dependant as I was." She paused and grimaced, but Martin barely flickered, the only sign that something wasn't right the way that his hand slid across his knees to take her own, "But, if you let children have tiny sips when they're growing up, then they'll a) find it disgusting and never want to drink again, and most importantly b) she won't view alcohol as a taboo, or something amazing that adults have, so she won't be so desperate to pour it down her throat."
"Actually, that's quite clever." Martin remarked, crinkling his nose, and beginning to stutter apologetically, "I'm sorry I-"
"Don't apologise." Deborah told him sternly, holding his gaze to impress upon him the importance of what she was saying; she had thought about this a lot over the last few months, "If you're planning on staying with me, and with Verity, in a sense, then you need to speak up if you think that something's wrong. I won't have my daughter in danger because I did something stupid and you didn't intervene."
"Oh…I do plan on staying." Martin replied, cowed somewhat by her words, he ducked his head and rubbed awkwardly at the back of his neck, and when he looked up again his eyes seemed to be particularly wide and his face frozen, "So…um…does that mean I have to, well, t-to learn how to do parenting."
"Well, seeing as by taking on this responsibility you're agreeing to become a sort of parent, yes." Deborah answered matter-of-factly, deciding for his sake not to comment on the way that Martin's hand tightened around hers, or how his breathing seemed to hitch; now, this, they hadn't talked about.
"Wow…" Martin breathed, then he sucked in a sharp breath, and then exhaled raggedly again, staring at nothing over Deborah's shoulder; perhaps they should have discussed this…
"Is that okay?" Deborah inquired gently, taking Martin's other hand in hers, and carefully trying to meet his eyes as they flickered here and there; she wanted Martin to be a properly integrated part of her life, and she now understood that he wanted that too, but there was always the chance that she had made too much of an assumption.
"That's okay." Martin said, stilling and letting his gaze fall back onto Deborah's face; just like that, Deborah could have sworn that it became easier to breathe, and she sighed as Martin shifted on the sofa and brought his arm around her shoulders, tucking her against him, and letting her enjoy being cuddled up with him, his heart thundering beneath her ear.
oOoOoOo
Then there was more mooching, more champagne split between those that drank such things, a sleeping child laid out on the sofa, and somehow, while the others were making quite a bit of noise on the other side of the room, Deborah found herself leaning back against the counter beside Arthur, the both of them holding steaming cups of coffee, and seeking temporary refuge from the frivolities. One would have thought that Deborah would have grown bored or exasperated, but still she was cushioned by a constant humming contentedness.
"This is great isn't it?" Arthur noted, as he watched the others make the most of the food and drink that he had brought, and have fun just as he had intended; if she wasn't mistaken, Deborah would have said that there was a settled, almost tangible glow about him.
"I can't complain." Deborah replied honestly, turning just slightly so that she was tilted towards him, as she took a sip of her coffee, cherishing how well Arthur had done in perfecting 'just right', "Nothing's on fire yet, so I'd call this a success."
"Thanks…but I meant this." Arthur reiterated, extending the hand holding his mug towards their friends; his ecstatic cheer wasn't quite at its highest peak, and if anything, Arthur seemed almost reflective as he watched the laughter, and then mirrored Deborah's position, hands wrapped around his mug, "All of us being together and having fun."
"I suppose." Deborah agreed thoughtfully; it was nice, actually, despite everything, "Although, I thought that the point of this was to celebrate the fact that we'll all be together for the foreseeable future."
"Yeah, it is. It's brilliant." Arthur sighed, and then pursed his lips and asked, nudging Deborah's arm slightly with his elbow, "Hey Deborah?"
"Yes Arthur?" Deborah responded, raising her eyebrows expectantly; patience was a virtue, but learning how to navigate Arthur's was a lifetime commitment.
"Did you think, when you started working here…what was it, ten years ago?" Arthur trailed off and his eyes wandered about across the ceiling as he clacked his tongue in concentration, tapping his fingers against the sides of his mug.
"Just about, yes; it was shortly after Verity was born." Deborah supplied for him, smiling wanly in return for his grateful beam; then what she had just said hit her, like a net dipping into her lungs and stealing a gallon or two of air, "God, that's a long time."
"I know, it's amazing." Arthur agreed, shaking his head as if he couldn't quite believe that so much time had passed between them; Deborah herself was having a hard time truly processing it, "Almost a third of my life."
"So it is." Deborah remarked, genuinely surprised yet again by the enormity of what their ramshackle celebration actually signified; she had teased Arthur, but now, she was beginning to understand the awe with which he had prepared for that evening, "A good third?"
"The best third." Arthur answered without a trace of regret, only a conviction that it would be lovely to possess, but couldn't be harnessed by anyone else, "It got even better when Martin arrived."
"Hmm, yes." Deborah hummed in acknowledgement, peering into the middle distance as an odd haze seemed to fall over her; she could barely remember a time in her life without Martin in it, though she knew that it had happened, "No more horrible Captains, just our annoyingly persistent one."
"No." Arthur shook his head and smiled his corroboration, then asked, in an odd tone of voice; it was only after a moment, that Deborah realised this was the first time she had ever heard him venture anywhere near shyness, "Did you ever think we'd end up here? I mean, from where we started."
"How d'you mean here?" Deborah asked, turning to face him more certainly, and placing her mug down on the counter.
"I mean, you were our first ever pilot, and you're still with us, and you're one of my two best friends," Arthur explained, barrelling over the facts unabashedly, though his hands made round about motions in the air, "and you're my oldest friend…here is here."
"Oh…" Deborah let out a small sound of surprise, and understanding, and let her eyes fall to her hands; for someone who did all of his thinking externally, Arthur had a talent for making her think, "you know, now that I think about it Arthur, you might just be my oldest friend."
"Oh, wow." Arthur chirped, his demeanour brightening a little just at that simply declaration, "That's brilliant."
"Quite." Deborah nodded, and she felt a smile creeping first from the corner of her lips, and up towards her cheek, as she turned from Arthur and leant back against the counter, folding her arms around her waist, "But, in answer to your question…no, I never thought we'd end up here."
"Oh…" Arthur sighed, the dejection in his tone like a stone lobbed into a pool, only to sink where it should have skipped.
"I'm rather glad we did though." Deborah continued, her tone filled with warmth as she turned her head back and smiled up at Arthur, taking immense pleasure from the way that his face lit up, and a new breath of life seemed to fill him.
"Oh!" Arthur chimed brightly; taking a moment to bask in his happiness, Deborah sighed, and allowed herself to tilt sideways, until she could rest her head on the point just below his shoulder.
Yes, she was very glad that things had turned out the way that they had.
oOoOoOo
Her chat with Arthur had got Deborah introspecting, and once she had started, as she wafted from person to person, and spent a few moments perched on the edge of the sofa watching her daughter's chest rise and fall, it became very hard to stop.
It really had been a long time; more than a decade since she had joined MJN, met Arthur and Carolyn…more than half a decade since she had met Martin…the thought of him now was like a whiff of enchanting, wonderful, affectionately clumsy perfume of the most beautiful, familiar flavour…to try and think of him then, on that first day, those first nine months…impossible.
Deborah could remember the events, remember the days, remember the conversations that they had had, of cats and film stars and lemons, and a mess of things that only Martin could instil in her…but the feelings…
She knew logically that at one point she could barely stand to be in the same room as him, but try as she might, Deborah couldn't even muster the slightest inkling, or delve into the darkest memories, for a hint of disdain, or the pain that he had once put her through…all that she could focus on, the only thing that really came to mind, that stuck like a stamp at the forefront of her psyche, was the image of Martin on his knees, hands on hers, gazing into her eyes, and her heart melting at the act.
That was after a fight, Deborah was sure of it, but her treacherous mind was telling her that that memory was one of romance, of her falling in love with him…and as that thought danced its way through her mind, she was almost bowled over by the memory of them laughing, of Martin taking her breath away and the words 'I wanted to be an aeroplane' singing out like a melody.
Then there were arms around her, and Deborah surged back to awareness to find herself in pure comfort, Martin at her back, pointing her towards where Herc and Arthur were fussing about with chairs, and Carolyn was scolding them, and Verity was blinking blearily on the sofa, rubbing her eyes with hands curled into fists. It was perfect, and could exist without them for just a moment more.
"Hey, Martin." Deborah whispered, as she tilted back her head and cherished the sensation of his cheek against hers, as he held her close and hummed in her ear, "Can you remember, a long, long time ago, when we weren't even friends?"
"I…only as a sort of…like a hazy dream." Martin started, then stopped, then started again, murmuring as if through a bewildered, magical trance, as he swayed ever so slightly on his heels, taking Deborah with him, "Like, l-like one of those movies you hate when you're watching it, but looking back, quite like the memories."
"We did have fun though, didn't we?" Deborah sighed, lifting her hand to trace her fingers against Martins' cheek, letting her eyes flutter closed as the movement brought them closer together, filtering out the rest of the world for just a moment.
It was suffocating, beautifully suffocating, how much she loved him…how loved she felt…happy…that was it…she was happy enough that she could have drowned in it.
"We could still have fun." Martin remarked quietly, a devious edge to his voice that made her grin, and smirk, and pull away just far enough to place a small, but lingering and sturdy kiss to his cheek.
"Oh, absolutely." Deborah drawled, barely louder than a breath, "I demand it be so."
It was clear that Martin had something to say, but he never got to say it, as he was interrupted; no matter though, they had time.
"Alright you lot, settle down or I won't speak at all." Carolyn announced, raising her hands into the air and glaring pointedly at Deborah and Martin, as the others were all muttering amongst themselves, but otherwise seated.
Deborah slipped from Martin's hold, but took his hand and led them to the sofa, where she dropped into Martin's arms, and pulled Verity into hers.
"Aw, Mum, you have to speak." Arthur insisted from where he swung gently from side to side on his wheelie chair, "That's the whole reason we're here."
"Well, that and the promise of cakes galore." Deborah muttered, loud enough to make Verity giggle, and grasp at her arms, snuggling closer and forgetting momentarily that ten year olds didn't do that anymore.
"Then sit down, and stop talking." Carolyn instructed him, despite the fact that she was the only one standing; when all eyes were on her, she cleared her throat, and spoke like a queen to her subjects, "The first thing that I would like to announce, is that at the start of this week MJN ceased to be a loss making company; our flight to Mumbai actually earned us a nice profit, which means…the company is finally making money!"
"Congratulations, all of you." Herc interrupted, bringing his hands together once, which was enough to have Arthur and Verity descend into a brief round of applause, before he raised his eyebrows and asked Carolyn, in that poking, prodding way that only he had mastered, "And who was responsible for this?"
"Oh, shush!" Carolyn scolded him, batting a hand in his direction; nevertheless, she took a deep breath, and spoke calmly, "Now, as much as this pains me to say, this wasn't entirely my doing. If it weren't for Martin's…Martin's…"
"Martin's genius." Martin suggested despairingly when no adjective came, sighing and shaking his head, and scowling, Deborah was sure, "If it weren't for Martin's genius-"
"Yes thank you." Carolyn said through gritted teeth, forcing a pleasant smile as if that actually mattered to her crew, "If it weren't for that, we never would have had a scheme in place to work from. Furthermore, our success has been largely due to Deborah's…"
"I believe the word you're looking for is 'talent'." Deborah interjected brightly, quirking an eyebrow at the other woman; even if she did say so herself, she was rather proud of how well her marketing had done in the big bad world.
"Deborah's unusually hard work," Carolyn continued as if Deborah hadn't spoken, remaining resolute, "we've reached clients that we'd have never have reached before. So, to conclude-"
"And of course, enough can never be said about Arthur's phenomenal stewarding, can it?" Deborah cut in again, before Carolyn could forget (albeit deliberately) her son's…efforts; she met Arthur's eye across the room, and smiled proudly at him, receiving a look of self-assured wonder in return.
"No, of course not." Carolyn acknowledged resignedly, nodding to Arthur and even smiling wanly when she saw the look on his face, "Arthur has been as cheerfully helpful as he has ever been."
"I'm just doing my bit, like everyone else." Arthur shrugged, which was the perfect amount of pride for someone who had maintained the same standard of work throughout the decade that he had been working at all; if nothing else, his teas and coffees were always improving.
"Quite." Carolyn agreed, then she clapped her hands together and sighed, giving the lot of them one last sweeping glance, "Well, that was all I had to say on the matter."
"Really?" Martin asked, leaning forwards as he teased, bringing him closer to Deborah, and making it easier to raise his eyebrows expectantly at Carolyn.
"Not even a little bit more?" Deborah joined in, smirking at the resignation on Carolyn's face as she rolled her eyes and pursed her lips at them.
"You're not just a tiny bit thrilled?" Martin concluded for her; Deborah's chest was so awash with heated fluttering that she couldn't have done anything to hide her smile or the light in her eyes.
"Oh, fine." Carolyn cursed, throwing her hands into the air; then her tone softened imperceptibly, and it couldn't have been detected, but Deborah was sure that there was some affection in her voice, "Well done all of you…you've been surprisingly good employees these past few months."
"It's been our pleasure." Deborah drawled, settling back into Martin's embrace, making sure that she didn't let Verity topple in her still dazed state; to her own surprise, she meant every word.
"May I say a few words?" Herc inquired, sitting forwards in her chair as Carolyn returned to hers, and could be heard exhaling with such a vigour that she might have been giving up the will to live.
"It won't be a few." Deborah muttered in Verity's ear, listening to the little girl giggle.
"Yes Herc, that would be lovely." Martin answered more loudly, and far more pointedly, as if her were trying to impress upon Deborah the importance of being nice to the man that had housed him for two weeks; it was a losing battle that he would never stop fighting.
"Thank you Martin." Herc replied gratefully, nodding politely as he straightened his back, and spoke like the only sober patron in a bar filled with tipsy customers, "I know that I may live far away, but I'd just like to say that I'm extremely impressed with everything that the four of you have done as a part of MJN; for such a small airline, in such dire circumstances, your perseverance, and your dedication, to the company as well as each other, is truly inspiring."
"Oh, what rot." Carolyn scoffed, but there was no concealing the way that her eyes lingered over Herc as he glanced around at her, and scrunched his nose in her direction.
"I wish you all the best for the future, and you have my best wishes for years to come." Herc concluded, pronouncing every word as if it were a dagger against the stubbornness that was Carolyn's heart.
"Yay!" Verity was the first to let out a cheer, clapping her hands together as Deborah rolled her eyes, unable to muster a sarcastic response to what even she could admit, was a rather lovely sentiment.
"That was brilliant!" Arthur declared, his joy written like a book over the pages of his cheeks, radiating from him and heating every inch of the room.
"Was it Arthur?" Deborah asked wanly, though she knew that she was smiling, and couldn't bring herself to stop; perfect was the word that she would use, if she hadn't been afraid of sounding ridiculous to her own ears, "Was it brilliant?"
"I think that we are quite brilliant actually." Martin remarked, and though he was referring to all of them, Deborah couldn't help but note how he tilted his head down just a pinch, or how his lips brushed past her ear and his arms tightened fleetingly around her waist.
"Oh, don't you start." Carolyn scoffed, shaking her head at the indignity of it all, though she wasn't putting up much of a fight, as she lay her hand over her eyes.
"Don't you agree?" Martin inquired, and he was talking to her, Deborah realised, as his voice reached that charming, sweet tenor, the hushed tones that were swapped in their more intimate moments, when they talked about the future, or about them, "Don't you think that everything's going to be brilliant?"
"I suppose I could allow a bit of brilliance," Deborah remarked softly, as she rested her head down against Martin's shoulder and made herself remember just exactly where she was, and exactly who she was surrounded by, only to inhale the perfection of the moment, "just to see what it's like."
Oh god, I've finished. This is a huge, daunting moment for me. Wow.
Although, not quite. I've stopped this fic here, because 50 chapters is a good place to wrap it up.
BUT I promised more, and I plan to write their lives, and all the bits you've been waiting for, so this is the plan - I already have it in mind to cover the marriage and kids bit that is mentioned in the first fic. Never fear.
BUT- there is more. If there is something you want to see, in the future for them (their lives from now), in Deborah's past (med school, husbands, etc), or anything within this fic that might need exploration (I think Wikkettkrikkett mentioned something months ago about Molokai christmas) - tell me
PM me, or comment on this, and I'll add it to my list. That way, I can have another meaty fic lined up for you.
Bu-bye for now : )