I'll Be Seeing You

Hi gang! A great big thank you for all your wonderful reviews. Such a confidence boost! This chapter is 'specially dedicated to my little mate Purplemonkeyys. :-))

Chapter 17

Joey awoke with a start. She heard the clip clop of horse's hooves and the clink of milk bottles outside in the street. The milkman was delivering.

She felt the warmth of arms around her and she opened her sleepy eyes and was delighted to find Charlie holding onto her body; her head resting on Joey's arm.

The clock downstairs chimed five. Joey snuggled in closer to Charlie and closed her eyes again; falling back into sleep.

***

Joey felt lips softly kissing hers in a long wonderful embrace. She didn't want to open her eyes for fear the lips might disappear, as they always disappeared. The kiss became more passionate and she felt soft hands caressing her skin making her tingle all over. She moaned with pleasure as they moved gently over her body and then up to her throat. The soft hands encircled her throat and started to squeeze, tighter and tighter and tighter. Joey couldn't utter a word, her voice wasn't working. She opened her eyes and saw Hugo straddling her body; his teeth sharp and yellow like pigs teeth! She couldn't breathe, she couldn't breathe!

"Joey! Wake up!"

Joey felt someone shaking her and opened her eyes to find Charlie anxiously looking down at her.

"Charlie!" She croaked, her heart beating fast.

"You were having a nightmare." Charlie said gently, and wiped a few beads of perspiration away from Joey's brow.

Joey closed her eyes again for a few moments and sighed.

"God!" She whispered and opened her eyes again. Charlie was still there and smiling.

"Did I shout?" Joey asked.

"No. Just moaned a bit."

"I'm not sure if it was when you were kissing me or Hugo was strangling me!" Joey grinned, her heart still beating rapidly.

Charlie grinned.

"Oh, I hope it was when I was kissing you!" She said snuggling into Joey again. "Jo, I'm sorry about last night."

"What about it?" Joey said after a few moments.

"Everything. But 'specially when I turned away from you and didn't want you to touch me. I didn't mean..." Charlie stopped talking.

"Charlie, don't torture yourself so." Joey said, holding Charlie tighter.

"I still had him on me and I didn't want you to be tainted."

"Shhh, Charlie. Try not to think about it." Joey whispered.

"Joey. I think I need to tell you about it." Charlie said, after a few moments.

Joey tensed. She wasn't sure if she wanted to hear what had happened between Charlie and Hugo.

"Please, Joey?" Charlie said, her voice sounding shaky.

"Charlie, you don't have to justify yourself to me." Joey said gently.

"I know."

Joey stroked Charlie's hair. Charlie took a few moments, swallowed and started.

"When I visited Scotland Yard after our weekend, our beautiful weekend, I was asked to perform a special task. That task was to spy on Hugo Austin. They picked me because I knew Hugo and we were on such terms that I might be able to hood-wink him into trusting me and let by interesting details about certain things. I didn't realise until after I had accepted the job that it might entail..."

Charlie paused, trying to find the right words. She swallowed again and continued.

"I didn't realise I would be expected to do just about anything to get what they needed."

It was Joey's turn to swallow.

"I managed to get some details when we had dinner last night and I was still probing for information when I bumped into Helen and then you! Everything went to pot after. I panicked. I couldn't think straight. I should have made do with just... but we didn't...I stopped him..."

Here, Charlie started to sob. Joey held her close but said nothing.

"I was so nervous, Jo." Charlie sniffed. "It was awful! It still makes me feel sick, even now."

"Shhh. Don't try to talk, sweetheart." Joey said, gently rocking the distraught Charlie.

Charlie quietly sobbed in Joey's arms. Suddenly, they heard a gentle tap, tap at the bedroom door.

"Come in!" Joey called as Charlie moved out of her arms.

Edna entered the room with a tray of breakfast things.

"I thought you two might like breakfast in bed this morning. It's a lovely sunny day!" She said, cheerfully, placing the tray on a little occasional table by the window.

"Thank you." Joey said. "I hope you haven't been to a lot of trouble?"

"No, dear. Now, it's ten o'clock. There's no rush, but when you feel like getting up, we'll have a little chat, dear." Edna said, addressing Charlie. Charlie nodded, wiping her eyes.

"I really need to put a kick in it!" Joey said, jumping out of bed, realising the time. She should have been back at her base at HMS Midge, Great Yarmouth hours ago.

Charlie took hold of Joey's hand, entreating her to stay.

"No need to rush, dear." Edna said. "Your unit is aware of the situation and they don't expect you back until twenty one hundred hours, this evening.

Joey looked bewildered.

"How do they know?"

Edna sat on the edge of the bed.

"A lot went on last night after you girls went to bed. I can't go into too much detail, simply because I don't know much, but I can tell you this, the information Charlie obtained was enough to make an arrest early this morning. Quite an important arrest. Well done, Charlie!"

Charlie gave a little smile in return. Joey squeezed her hand.

"Well, I'll leave you two girls to enjoy your breakfast." Edna smiled and closed the door behind her as she left the room.

Charlie stared at the breakfast tray.

"The only reason I would have gone through with it, was for you, Joey. It all had something to do with shipping and naval personnel. I was worried about you! He might have hurt you! I couldn't bear that." Charlie said, quickly shifting and curling up in Joey's lap, trying to shut everything out.

Joey bent her head down and kissed Charlie's head, feeling a little overwhelmed.

***

By midday, Charlie had spoken to Tom and Edna. She told them everything that happened from the moment she met Hugo Austin the evening before to the moment she shot him in the leg and how Joey had become involved.

Tom went into the dining room to make a private phone call to DAC Woodford in London, to brief him on his meeting with Charlie.

Charlie and Edna sat opposite each other in the parlour. Charlie nervously studied her hands.

"You did well, Charlie. Very well, indeed. But I fear you don't find this side of the job to your taste?"

Charlie shook her head and bit her bottom lip.

"There's no shame in feeling that way, dear. It takes a great deal of experience to be able to close down your personal feelings completely on a job like this. I'm sorry you had to endure as much as you did."

Charlie nodded.

"Charlie, I think you should go and join that very pretty Wren of yours, who's waiting for you in the garden!" Edna said, rising to her feet, smiling.

Charlie looked out into the garden and saw Joey wandering around, running her hands along the shrubs, killing time until Charlie joined her.

Charlie smiled.

"Be happy together." Edna said, seriously. "You both deserve it."

Charlie looked up quickly at Edna.

"Your eyes gave it away, my dear, yours and hers." Edna said, with a smile and left Charlie alone in the parlour.

***

Charlie stepped out into the sunny morning. She couldn't see Joey at first. Then a flash of navy blue caught her eye at the back of the very long garden. Charlie smiled and hurried to join her friend.

Joey was picking out a few weeds from the vegetable patch.

"D'you miss that old allotment back home?" Charlie asked, with a smile.

"Charlie!" Joey said; glad to see Charlie looking happy. "All finished in there?"

"Just about, I hope." She replied and walked the last half dozen steps to Joey and took her hands. "Joey. I couldn't have got through all of this without you. Thank you for being there when I needed you."

Joey blinked once, slowly.

"I said in my letter that I'd be with you if I could. I didn't quiet plan it this way, though, so I can't really take any credit!" She said, grinning.

"It doesn't matter how or why you got there. You did, that's all. Edna does know about us. She told us to 'be happy together'. We will, won't we Jo?" Charlie asked, drawing Joey close to her.

"We will. I'm happy right now, but would be happier if you'd let me kiss you."

"Then kiss me!" Charlie said, simply.

Joey slowly leaned forward and gently placed her lips on Charlie's sending rapturous feelings through them both.

Joey was first to break away; still worried Charlie was feeling nervous after her recent experiences. She was surprised and pleased to see disappointment in Charlie's eyes, so quickly resumed her position.