I must have looked like an emotional wreck, because as soon as Lee walked through the door, he dropped his belongings and walked over to my side. Fi and Homer walked to the front door, but no one spoke. The only sound was the kids playing in the background and Lee's soothing hand rubbing my back.
"What's happened?" was his first words. I took a deep breath and lifted my head to look at his face. His face was full of worry and anxiousness.
"Ellie and I came across some soldiers today. We found an address." He handed Lee the paper and watched as he read it over quickly.
"What did Bronte say?" Homer looked at me guiltily before answering, never taking his eyes off me.
"She said she'd send a few reliable people, including us, to check it out.." I froze instantly, the shivers returning, running through my whole body. It seemed like eternity before Lee replied.
"She wants us to check it out?" What would we find?"
Clearly he hadn't quite out two and two together, so Homer told him "We think they may still be after us for what we did during the war, it could be a set up…" Lee nodded, finally understanding.
Fi returned to the kitchen and put the chook in for dinner. Homer took to the couch again with Gavin by his side. Lee and I went into his room.
"Are you okay?" He asked before realising how stupid the question was. I didn't bother answering, just folded myself into his chest. He put his hand under my knees and gently moved my legs so they were across his lap.
We stayed like that for what seemed like eternity, but was probably only about an hour. We slowly stood a little stiffly, not wanting to leave, but knowing we could use a good meal. Fi had done a beautiful job at cooking dinner. I smiled a little to myself at the effort she'd made with setting the table. She put a table runner along the centre, with a three-piece candle set. I giggled a little, wondering if Lee and I would ever go on a date with candles and a moonlit dinner. I looked up seeing Lee blush under his dark skin.
Surprise hit me like a tidal wave when I realised the table was set for two. My mouth opened to protest, but Fi waved her hand dismissively. "Fi!" I cried, touched that she'd go to this effort for us. I looked out the corner of my eye to see Homer pushing the kids out the door with promises of McDonald's for dinner. Fi set the veggies down and pushed her hair back from her eyes.
"You two could do with a night alone, we'll be back late." I could feel myself blush, realising she must have heard us last night.
"Sorry…" I muttered embarrassed. She gave a laugh.
"Just as well Homer didn't hear…you'd never hear the end of it." She smiled and gave a wave, before disappearing through the door, closing it behind her.
We waited until we could hear the car pull away and knew were alone. I looked up and laughed at Lee's facial expression. It was pure embarrassment. I went to pull my seat out, but before I could, Lee was at my chair, pulling it out for me. I gave another giggle and blushed taking my seat.
"Thank you." I smiled as he took his own. "Not just for…that, but for everything."
Lee smiled, showing me I was welcome.
"If you don't want me to go with Homer…I won't. I know how I'd feel if I was stuck behind looking after the kids, worrying." His turn of conversation threw me a little.
"I don't want to stop you from living your life Lee, your with Liberation, I understand that. But your right, I'll be panicking the whole time." His eyes looked down into his lap, then looked back across at me, guilt flashing across his face.
We each took a helping of chicken and baked veggies and began eating.
"The war's over Ellie…well sort of, its not our fight and its certainly not yours. During the war I pushed everyone into attacking the enemy. I'm sorry…" I blinked three times in astonishment. Lee very rarely admitted when we was wrong, a little like Homer and most of the time me in that respect.
"You did what needed to be done. Your right, the war's over, but these soldiers…" I shook my head before continuing. "They need to be stopped. I honestly don't think I could handle even small missions like this, checking out the address. I think I might stand there and scream like with the solider when taking the Kiwi's through Wirrawee." I shuddered at the memory, still haunted by the fact that I could have killed them all.
Lee didn't seem to have an answer to that, so he started shovelling food into his mouth. I did the same, a little more reluctantly, still trying to keep my table manners. After a few moments of knives and forks scrapping against our plates, I spoke again.
"It was nice of Fi to set this up…do you realise this is technically our first date?" Lee nodded and smiled at me across the table.
"Not bad for a first date huh?" he replied in between mouthfuls. I laughed at his table manners. "God, I can't take you anywhere, not even to our own apartment." Lee laughed suddenly and I joined him. It had been forever since I'd cracked a joke. I think he was just pleased I was somewhat back to normal, despite the worry I had for the kids and Gavin.
We finished our dinner with high spirits then ventured over to the couch. I curled up into Lee's lap while he stroked my hair absent-mindly. Some sit-com called "My Wife and Kids" was on. I giggled to myself, which had Lee blushing once again. We were in our own rights parents to 5 kids and were very much a family. Lee put one hand under my jaw and began to kiss me softly. The kisses started out slow and light, but then grew and grew as they became much more heated. Soon the TV was turned off and I was intertwined with Lee, one of my legs hooked around his waist, while my arms and legs roamed his chest, his hair, his legs. Every touch gave him goose bumps, which I smiled between his deep and passionate kisses. His hands mimicked mine as they travelled across my stomach and back up my body, leaving the same trail of goose bumps in their path. His head burrowed into the crook of my neck, leaving soft, but firm kisses in the hollow of my neck. And that's when the bloody kids came rushing in.