Chapter Five – Some Energy Required

Joan was about to reach for her wine glass the next evening when two pieces of paper landed in front of her. She glanced up at Arthur and then down at what he'd tossed onto the table. The false IDs he'd made, though they didn't exactly look like ones she was used to. These were thin and shiny. She picked them up and looked over each one. Josephine and Aaron Carson.

"You're lacking some originality with the names don't you think?"

"No, it doesn't really matter. If they're close to our real names it might even be more convincing."

"Hopefully they'll work."

"Oh, I don't see why they wouldn't."

"If you say so," she returned before lifting her wine glass to her lips.

"They will. I still have to find a box, but that shouldn't take too long."

He pulled the chair out beside Joan and sat down. Since he didn't say anything Joan continued sipping at her wine in silence. Arthur's eyes remained on her, watching and waiting. It was like he was expecting her to read his mind. Joan had no intention of doing that even though she did have an idea about what he wanted. Instead of telling him that, she lifted her eyebrow and asked her own question.

"What?"

"Simply wondering what you wanted to do tonight."

"Finish my glass of wine, eat dinner, and enjoy some more wine. I might even be open to curling up on the couch with you and watching TV. As long as it isn't the news."

She said all of it with a straight face even though she knew that wasn't what he was asking. It would irritate him to no end, and she would enjoy that. There were not enough times when she could make Arthur squirm. She was going to enjoy every moment of this one.

"Ah, Joan, that's not what I'm talking about, and I think you know that."

"Do I?"

Arthur knew that look. It was the one she gave him when she wanted to make him work simply for the fun of it. She was denying her knowledge of what he was talking about, but he knew that she understood his true meaning.

"Don't play this game. Don't we get enough of this at work?"

"That question sounds familiar. Remind me again who has asked that recently?"

"My amazing wife only last week."

"Ah. I thought it sounded familiar."

"Now that you've made your point, do you want to tell me what clues we're going to give tonight?" he pressed.

"Are they watching?"

That was a very good question, and one he didn't have an answer to. At least not yet. It wouldn't take much to find out though. He moved to the window but didn't see anyone watching from the windows across the way. It was possible that they were outside though, so he headed down the hall to check. He spotted both children right away.

"They're outside," he reported when he returned to the kitchen.

"Well, your phone call would be good. The whole point for that one is for them to hear what you are saying."

"Very true." Arthur rested his hands on her shoulders and leaned over so his head was close to hers before he continued. "How energetic are you feeling?"

Joan tipped her head back and stroked her cheek against his.

"Energetic enough," she returned in a rather sultry voice.

Unfortunately for Joan that wasn't why Arthur had asked (for once).

"Good. We can go put on some comfortable clothes so we can practice outside after the phone call."

He kissed her and vanished upstairs without bothering to wait for her. Joan rolled her eyes and sighed. Of course that had been why he'd asked. She finished the rest of her wine in one gulp and followed him up to their room. Sometimes Arthur could be exceedingly frustrating.

O . o . O . o . O

The sound of a door opening next door drew Carter's attention. He waved to Caroline and motioned toward the fence. She understood right away and scurried over to join him. Together they ducked under the bushes on their side of the fence and pressed in as close as they could. If they got in the right position they could see reasonably well through the foliage. It wasn't perfect but it was the best they could do without being seen. At least from where they were they could hear everything.

"You're taking up all the room, Carter."

"You're fine. Now be quiet so we can hear what's going on."

Caroline fell silent and peered through the leaves. Arthur Campbell had come outside with his phone. He paced around the yard, his eyes constantly scanning the area to make sure he was alone. When he walked past where Carter and Caroline were hiding they held their breaths and tried to stay as still as possible. Finally Arthur seemed confident that nobody was nearby and made his call. Both children strained their ears to catch it.

"Doug, it's Arthur. Everything has been set and the mission is a go. You're to meet codename Cobra at rendezvous point C. Be careful and don't get caught. Nobody else can know about this."

He paused for a moment, listening, and Carter and Caroline couldn't help trying to scoot closer. There really hadn't been a point though. Arthur said good luck and hung up. Caroline and Carter looked at each other in disappointment. They'd heard a lot, and it seemed to fit with the suspicion that Mr. Campbell was a spy. Despite that though, they wanted more. Hopefully they would see or hear something else that was just as cool if they stuck around. For a while they didn't see anything at all. Since they could hear someone walking around they knew Mr. Campbell was still out there, just out of sight. Then they heard the sound of the sliding glass door open and close followed by the sound of more footsteps.

"That took a while," Arthur said.

"Stop being impatient. I didn't take that long," Joan grumbled in return.

Both of the Campbells came into sight a moment later. Joan's arms were crossed over her chest and she was clearly irritated. On the other hand Arthur was smiling happily. Sighing, Joan dropped her arms and took a few steps back.

"Alright. Let's just get this over with."

"Someone is grumpy tonight."

"I'm not the one that needs the practice," she retorted.

Neither Carter nor Caroline knew what they were talking about, but the last thing either of them was expecting was for a punch to suddenly be thrown. They couldn't prevent their gasps of surprise. Joan's fist nearly collided with Arthur's face. At the last minute he shifted aside.

"You could have said go!"

"Fine. Go."

And fists flew again. All Caroline and Carter could do was watch open mouthed as the Campbells moved. Each movement was fluid and controlled and not one strike hit its mark without being blocked or deflected in some way. The fight looked dead even until Arthur slammed into Joan, caught her around the waist, and dragged her to the ground. When they hit the grass there was a scramble of arms and legs. Carter couldn't make out too many details. To him it was simply a mess of flailing until Arthur pressed Joan's shoulders to the ground. It seemed pretty obvious to Carter that he'd won. Then in a flash the situation was reversed. Joan had locked her leg around Arthur's and yanked on it at the same time her hand snapped up and collided with his opposite shoulder. The two forces together and the suddenness of her attack unsteadied Arthur. She easily flipped him onto his back and took up the same position he was in before only with a knee resting lightly over the pit of his stomach.

"Whoa," Caroline whispered.

"Yeah."

They watched until Joan stood and pulled her husband back onto his feet. Arthur groaned as he stood, and Carter was pretty sure he heard him grumbling at Joan their entire way into the house. Once they were inside the kids crept out of the bushes and turned to look at each other.

"I told you they were spies!" Caroline said in triumph.

"We don't know for sure yet," he insisted even though he was already convinced. He might have thought the Campbells were spies but he wasn't willing to admit that yet, especially since it would mean telling his sister that she'd been right. Besides, he wanted to see more of their tricks.

"Seems pretty obvious to me."

"Maybe. Could be coincidence though. We need to keep watching."

"If you say so."

Caroline didn't really mind. It was fun playing a spy.

O . o . O . o . O

"Ow," Arthur moaned once they were inside.

Joan flashed him a bright, not very sympathetic smile. She ran her fingers lightly down the side of his face as she walked past.

"Poor baby. I'll get you some ice."

"And a drink."

Of course a drink needed to be included. While Arthur made himself comfortable on the couch Joan gathered the ice and a glass of scotch. She sat down next to him, handed over the glass, and pressed the ice pack to the back of his head. He winced and cast her a tiny glare.

"Was taking me down really necessary?"

Joan leaned in and kissed him gently.

"You know how I feel about losing."

"You didn't have to take that frustration out on me."

"I wouldn't have needed to if you had just let me win."

She leaned against him and rubbed her cheek on his shoulder. Arthur gently stroked his fingers through her hair.

"I'm proud of you, you know," he told her. "You've still got it."

"You see? You don't have to worry about me."

"I will always worry about you, Joan."