This is Prompt No. 30-Roundabout
"No matter what happens, I'm here for you," Shane said softly as he gripped Mitchie's hand tightly in his own.
Mitchie smiled up at him hesitantly. "Thanks," she said. They had been standing outside the conference room doors for over five minutes, neither one of them wanting to give the slight push that would propel them into a room of uncertainty. "It must be dangerous," she remarked.
Shane shot a glance her way and asked, "Why would you think that?"
"Caitlyn looked upset," was the immediate response.
Shane winced. She'd noticed. "Maybe it won't be that bad," he said, falsely optimistic. "It could just be a shopping trip. You know how much Caitlyn loves those."
Mitchie smiled slightly, but even the teasing voice of her husband was not enough to raise her spirits. "She would've been complaining then," she pointed out, and Shane knew that he was caught.
He pulled her tightly against him, kissing her so hard that her knees buckled and he had to support her. When he pulled away, Shane said in between breaths, "No…matter what…I'll…love you…forever."
Those simple words gave Mitchie some extra courage, and she smiled again. "Thank you," she said, and pushed open the doors.
They stepped into the conference room hand in hand. The general eyed them carefully and nodded to some of the chairs around the table. "Sit down, Mitchie and Shane," he said, his voice friendly, yet slightly edgy.
Mitchie and Shane did as they were told, choosing seats across from the general and right next to each other. They waited for the general to continue, but he didn't, so Mitchie asked, "Well?"
The edginess in her own voice surprised even her, and Mitchie blushed. However, the question seemed to bring the general out of whatever verbal rut he had found himself in, for he began to speak. "Ah yes," he started awkwardly and uncharacteristically. "Well, how would you like to take a trip?" he asked Mitchie.
"By myself?" Mitchie asked, trying to gain more knowledge of what was being expected of her.
The general nodded, and Mitchie felt Shane's grip on her hand tighten. "Yes."
"To where?" Mitchie asked.
The general shifted slightly in his seat. "To Europe," he answered vaguely.
Mitchie and Shane exchanged glances, unsure of what to make of this unusual behavior. "Europe's a big place," Shane finally said. "Could you be more specific?"
The general paused for a moment and then sat forward suddenly, changing the subject just as quickly. "Remember that time I told you about Queen Victoria?" he asked Shane.
Shane frowned. "No."
The general's smile dimmed, but he went on anyways. "Doesn't really matter," he mumbled. "It was about-"
Before he could get any further in his nervous storytelling, Mitchie interrupted him. "This is a very roundabout way of telling me that you want me to do something," she told him. "Would you please just give me that bad news all at one time instead of rationing it little by little?"
"The UUS has asked us to send one of our members to spy on Queen Victoria," he told her.
Mitchie's mouth fell open. "Excuse me?" she asked, unsure that she had heard him correctly.
"We need to send someone to spy on Queen Victoria," the general said again, morphing back into his normal, take-charge attitude now that his news was out. "We need to know if she'd be willing to align herself with the Union or not."
"An alliance?" Mitchie guessed.
The general nodded. "Right."
"She can't go!" Shane exclaimed. "That's far too dangerous. That's treason! Let me go."
The general shook his head. "I'm well aware of that, but only a woman can go. We must send her as a diplomat."
Mitchie's jaw went slack. "But that's never been done before!" she exclaimed.
"Technically, it has," the general said. "The women in history just weren't labeled for their duties. Plus, sending a woman would be much more favorable in Victoria's sight. She's quite tickled at the rumors we've circulated of Mitchie's arrival."
"Why can't someone else go?" Mitchie asked, "like Caitlyn?" Immediately, Mitchie realized how awful that question sounded and tried to rephrase it, but the general cut her off.
"I know what you meant," he assured her. "Caitlyn cannot go because she's, well, expecting a family. As you know, society outside the base demands that a woman expecting a child is hidden from view when her condition begins to show." Mitchie nodded. Unfortunately, that made sense. "Plus," the general went on, "Caitlyn is very good with her role playing and her weaponry, but she lacks the…diplomacy you possess."
Mitchie smiled, thinking of Caitlyn's friendly, forward manner. "She wouldn't be accepted at court," she finished for him.
"Precisely," the general said.
He seemed to be waiting for her to say the inevitable: that she would take the mission. She had no other choice! "I'll do it," she said, regret plain in her voice.
The general nodded. "I'm very sorry, Mitchie," he told her. "I wish the UUS could use a different division, but they want us."
Mitchie smiled weakly, trying to lighten the mood, and said, "That's because we're so good," she told him with a wink. "When do I leave?"
"The next ship bound for London is in two weeks," the general said. "I had no idea that my present would be used as such, but I would suggest finding yourself a dressmaker for a court dress or two."
Mitchie nodded, looking first at the stricken face of her husband and knowing that her face mirrored his, and then at the general, who looked saddened and distraught as well. Fighting back the gnawing feeling in her stomach and the emphatic, "No!" that was pounding through her mind, Mitchie said softly, "I'll be ready."
The hand that reached out to take the file from the general's hand shook only slightly.
A/N: Okay, everyone, I know that you're reading, and simply not reviewing, so please review. It means a lot to me and lets me know what you think of my work. This chapter is dedicated to kiayame-san: Hope you have an amazing trip! Take lots of notebooks! :D Thanks also to mickeyhagg for the 400th review!!
