Chapter 8

Thank you for continuing to view, read and review!

Gordon had somehow made it to bedtime without bolting out the door in despair. Tin-Tin lay snuggled on her side facing him as he faced the unfamiliar ceiling. He couldn't sleep, how could he when his mind had been shattered by the earlier revelations of the evening? It had been such a fantastic day too; he should have known something would go wrong. It always did when it came to him.

He quietly shifted to face her in the gloom as the rain and thunder crashed overhead, the roar of the water coasting off the tin roof above them. He still couldn't come to terms with how she could be related to that beast of a man! As they had turned in for the night Gordon had the chance to scrutinise the photo again, the man's eyes arresting him once more. There was no doubt. Gordon remembered the moment those vile eyes bore into his, the awful sense of the loss of control as the man had choked him against cockpit of the yacht, still reeling from the murder of his comrade and fearing he was about to go the same way – until lost consciousness and woke up from a coma paralysed. There had been days he wished he had died.

What was harder to determine was if it was indeed the same man he had killed. When Scott went to rescue his girlfriend Rose (Now his wife), he came face to face with a man who could manipulate people with his eyes, just like Tin-Tin's uncle. He'd told Gordon the man had amber eyes that glowed. That tied in, but the man had looked different. When Gordon had reviewed the CCTV footage from Thunderbird One the male entering the cockpit had brown reddish hair and a goatee. Tin-Tin's uncle was bald headed with his large black eyebrows being his only facial hair. Gordon desperately wished he could reassess the footage, but Scott had ordered it wiped and rightly so. His wife had suffered enough already without people being able to watch her at her most vulnerable. The only people he suspected could confirm the truth were his father and Kryano, but he couldn't broach the subject with them because he couldn't tell them about his previous encounter when working undercover as W.A.S.P'S version of special ops. The only other person who might be able to confirm it was Scott, but Gordon didn't want to burden him with this on top of his recent news and bringing up that fateful day was too painful for him and Rose.

No there was nothing he could do. He was going to have to fall back on his training and retain yet another secret. He would continue like nothing had changed but the knife twisted in his gut when he looked across to her once more. Keeping the truth from his family had been frustrating, especially not being able to show his father just how capable he was in dangerous situations, but lying to who he hoped would be his future spouse was intolerable. It was why he didn't speak to Glenn's family anymore. How could he pass off their son's murder as a boating accident and be ok with it? He wasn't, he could never - no. Relationships were meant to be built on love and trust, but how could she ever trust him again if she knew?

He closed his eyes and took a grounding breath. He worked on relaxing his facial muscles to his breathing, then his shoulders, then his stomach, concentrated on the way he legs relaxed against the soft mattress. He tried to focus on soft rolling waves, the sound as they gently bubbled and frothed against the shore, then the way the sea scraped against sand as the tide rushed out again. In his mind it suddenly went dark with a flash and a thud he just stood there while Glenn dropped like a felled tree. The stark black hole penetrating his forehead between his eyes. Gordon squeezed his eyes shut with a choking gasp, reeling from the memory. "Don't think, Don't Think, Don't Think." He whispered the mantra over and over till he felt his eyes droop and his mind drift back to floating between the soft waves. He slipped under the tide into the welcoming depths below, finally giving in.

Poor Gordon looked awful, the bags under his eyes and the shadow of stubble marring his handsome face. His eyes were devoid of their usual lacklustre. He'd also slept in till eleven in a deep sleep which was unlike him. He'd only awoken because the carpenter had started outside.

Tin-Tin handed him a mug sympathetically. "Did your injuries keep you awake? Maybe we overdid it yesterday, I'm sorry."

"No, no its fine. I think its just that and a little bit of jet lag but I'm well enough." He took a sip of his drink with a reassuring smile. "I'll be alright."

"Well can I at least give you something to soothe your eyes they look sore."

To keep her happy, he replied "Sure."

She hopped up from where she was curled next to him and was back in moments with a small sachet in her hand.

"No, not a face mask." He looked at her in mild disgust.

"It's not a mask, they're under-eye patches. They will have you perked up in no time." She started to unpeel the packet.

"Tin, please I don't do beauty stuff."

"It's not. Well ok it is, but they do male ones too. Just indulge me."

She'd uttered the magic words. "Fine, I'm not having anything else though. You can still leave my eyebrows alone; I don't want to look groomed and fake like those reality TV stars."

She sighed. He had a couple of wayward hairs that she just wanted to pluck. "Gordon you are a spoil sport."

He grinned as she applied the patches before then relaxing his face. "Oh." He uttered in pleasant surprise at the instant cooling sensation. He could feel the puffiness fading, it felt so much better already.

"See silly." She planted a kiss on his lips before tucking herself under his arm.

He held onto her; thankful he had an excuse to close his eyes and rest. He couldn't bring himself to look her in the eye, it was hard to remain jovial, but he had to. Tin-Tin was the most emotionally intuitive person he knew so he couldn't afford to slip.

"Are we able to go out today, is the carpenter here all day? He asked.

"He said he can only do this morning, so we have the afternoon. The storms passed through so I thought we could go diving but you're obviously not well enough yet."

Gordon cracked an eye open. "Hey! I'm completely fine. Diving sounds perfect. I've missed swimming."

Tin-Tin smiled warmly. "I know."

The afternoon sun beamed through white clouds, the light and shadows playing across the landscape like a child's mobile. It was astounding how two days could be so different to each other Tin-Tin reflected. She walked down the wooden planks; the timber worn smooth from the years of exposure to saltwater. They were warm and a little slippery underfoot at points. She navigated her way slowly into the boat, her skin covered by her pink wetsuit. Gordon was already in the boat with the gear in his black suit. He sat legs apart with an air tank between them conducting the final checks, satisfied he hoisted it to one side.

He looked up and with a smile, stood to offer a hand so Tin-Tin could step in. She loved the way his face lit up for her, his smile that seemed like a secret that he only revealed to her. She'd never seen him smile like that at anyone else, it made her feel like the luckiest woman alive.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Yes, let's go!"

With a grin, he launched the sleek little boat, the engine roaring into life. With a nod to Tin-Tin she stood to cast off before settling herself back on the bench. Gordon stood at the wheel as he took them further out of the bay, revelling in the fresh air that whipped the hair back from his eyes. He took in a deep breath trying to cast his thoughts away to the sea. Being out here in the open and being able to express himself doing what he loved best helped. It didn't cure his problems, but it was certainly dampening them and for now that would serve.

A short while later and they reached their destination on the lilting azure waters. The sun sparkled off the water making it look like someone had spilled sapphires across the ocean, the coast was visible still.

"So, you've never been here before?" Now Gordon had cut the engine she could talk freely without shouting over the roar.

Gordon was up front securing the bowline to the mooring ball. He leant back and indicated she should double check it.

"Well, I've been in the coral triangle, wouldn't be much of a marine biologist if I hadn't but I've never dived around Malaysia. I've done Indonesia and the Solomon Islands. Did you know over sixty six percent of the world's coral species are found in this triangle?" Gordon was referring to the term given to the large expanse of coral reef that spans parts of Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste. "And there are at least four hundred and twenty reef building species, it's incredible."

Tin-Tin smiled as she stepped back down from the bowline. "No, I didn't it sounds fascinating. I can't wait to find out more." There was plenty of room for her to slip back pass him, yet she found herself brushing against him. He stilled with a grunt as she steadied herself by leaning on him.

"Tin." He faltered, sounding hoarse.

"Hmm?" She looked up with a coy smile.

"Please don't."

"Please don't what?" She had one leg between his at this point, her thigh contacting all sorts of right places that he could barely string a sentence together.

"You know what." He all but growled. "I'm uncomfortably restrained in this suit, if you want to see that coral, I suggest you stop unless you want to just be seeing the inside of the boat."

Again, with the coy smile she kissed him on the small bit of skin left above the collar of his suit before withdrawing leaving him well and truly buzzed. She caught sight of his expression and laughed. He shook his head muttering softly, "I'll get you back."

She either ignored him or couldn't hear. Smiling to himself, he hoisted the tanks out. He expertly checked them both over before passing them to Tin-Tin for a second inspection. Once they were satisfied, they shrugged them onto their shoulders, secured their masks and apparatus before sitting on the edge of the boat. On a silent count of free they both dropped backwards off the side of the boat with a splash.

Finally, the moment he hit the water he knew he was free. The weightlessness buoying him like nothing else could. He trod water softly as he checked in with Tin-Tin before indicating they should dive. With a nod, she followed his lead. He pushed down further the indigo ocean; fish swam in small shoals, and he thought he caught sight of a hawksbill turtle which he turned to point out to Tin. Despite the storm yesterday the visibility was pretty good, and they were able to see the looming coral ridges clearly. As they got closer, they could clearly see the salmon pink, rust reds and soft yellow clusters of coral teeming with life. Sea slugs and the odd snake prowled over the tops as waves of small fish flashed in and out of the complex networks of tunnels the coral formed to create a safe haven for a wide range of sea creatures.

Gordon felt a soft tap on his shoulder as Tin-Tin's voice filtered through his speakers. Look Gordon! A shark, is it a hammerhead?"

"It sure is, Gee! They're incredibly rare these days - that's awesome!"

Tin-Tin took a picture before swimming a little further on. Gordon followed suit; he didn't want to get separated from her.

Some time later they emerged. Gordon hadn't enjoyed recreational dive like that for years and said as much to Tin-Tin before demonstrating his heartfelt thanks with an intense kiss that left her breathless and longing to taste the salt fresh off his lips once more. She took off her diving cap, shaking her hair out it flowed in soft waves, gleaming in the sunshine. Gordon's hands immediately wound themselves up in it as he pulled her closer, gasping for air like his oxygen had run out. The tanks and apparatus were pulled away before they collided once more. She pushed him on the bench at the back to which he was all too happy to comply, his hands running up along side her fervently searching for a point of entry to the infernal suit she was encased in.

She paused straddled across him as his hand found the zipper at the back. "Gordon, we can't"

"What? Why not?" He almost yelped.

"What if someone sees?"

Gordon placed a hand over his eyes and panned around their surroundings. "The coast is literally clear."

"But what if the boat is bugged? You know with cameras?" She whispered. "You know like a creepy air B ."

"Ah you forget I have an app for that." Gordon extracted his arm to bring his watch to his lips. "Scan for recording devices both audio and visual."

It was a recent installation for them all courtesy of Brains that was already proving immensely useful. "One device detected."

Gordon swore. "Really?" Then he laughed at the camera perched on the bench next to them. He scanned his watch over it. "Device Detected; would you like me to disable it?"

"No thank you."

"You are aware of the risks?"

"Yes, pack it in."

"I'm sorry I don't understand that command."

"Yes, I understand."

"Very well."

He cradled into Tin-Tin's chest, wanting to feel her damp skin against his. "See all good, lets continue."

"It's a bit open."

"I'll cover you."

He nibbled just below her ear and pulled her back down on his lap, her eyes fluttered closed as she whispered, "Ok but let's be quick."

He chuckled against her sea chapped lips "I can guarantee it will be quick but the best you've ever had."

She laughed, drowning out the sound of the rasp of the zipper as it whizzed down her back. Life was never boring with Gordon around.