Two Ships [rp for neverwrongagent]

[posterboymarine]

After the call, he'd said he would stay put. And he did, right until he got word of where she was coming in. Then he throw his things back into his bag and made his way to the nearest Couch Canada station. He took the bus and found the cheapest motel he could. He got a room on the backside of the building, and he waited.

He tried to sleep, something he'd been mostly unable to do since he'd called her. But every time he closed his eyes, he imagined he felt the burner phone vibrate and he jerked awake. Finally, he just gave up and turned on the TV. It didn't manage to hold his interest, at all, but it was background noise.

With that noise quieting the doubts in his head, he waited.

Comments

[neverwrongagent]

She held him as tightly as she dared, wrapping her limbs around him and snuggling close enough that she knew there was no air spaces left. "Blindingly real. Annoyingly real." She kissed his cheek. "And I'm here. I'm yours and I'm here."

[posterboymarine]

"Thank God. I had a dream that you were a dream, that you never existed and I was still in Iraq." He sniffled loudly, then kissed her shoulder. "But you're here, just like you said you would be. Just like you promised."

[neverwrongagent]

She shifted so she could give him a firm, tender, proper kiss. "Told you it was us. For us." She kissed him again, more lightly. "Won't leave you alone. One way or the other I'll be with you."

It was what would ultimately trip them up, she knew, but she couldn't leave him alone. She needed him, too. "You got through that. It's over." She groaned softly. "This is something new, but we're doing it together."

[posterboymarine]

He wasn't ready for anything approaching sex yet, not mentally, but he did give her another kiss. They could work up to that in the time she was there. "Together. That's good. I don't think I could do this alone. Not now."

[neverwrongagent]

She put both her hands on his face, drawing him up so she could meet his eyes. Then she gave him another gentle kiss, still seeking more to connect than entice. If she thought it would help him, she'd entice the hell out of him, but that wasn't what this moment was for. "Not alone. I won't abandon you, Brody."

She frowned a little, not liking how that sounded. She didn't mean it as a slam against anyone, not even Jess who she wouldn't mind blaming for something. It was only a statement of who she was and the kind of crazy that kept her around.

[posterboymarine]

He leaned heavily into her hand and smiled. "I'm glad. I'm glad you're with me." He kissed her nose and settled some. "I'm glad you came."

[neverwrongagent]

She wrinkled her nose at him, then nodded. "God, so am I. You're the only person I know who knows everything. Not just what happened, but me." She gave him a crooked smile. "And you still like me. At least I hope you do."

[posterboymarine]

"I still love you." It was more than like. Much more. "Maybe because of who you are. Maybe because of who I am. It doesn't matter why."

[neverwrongagent]

Her stomach did the little flip it did every time he said that word to her. The first time she'd said it to him, she'd screamed it at him. She'd accused him with it. Her smile softened. "Still love me. That doesn't happen often." She rested her forehead against his. "Still love you. Don't think I know how to not love you."

[posterboymarine]

He sighed happily. "We are a sad pair, aren't we." He settled against her again with a low groan, hugging her. "Three days? Should we stay here? Switch hotels? What should we do?"

[neverwrongagent]

She shook her head a little. "Not sad right now." And she wasn't. She was worried and anxious, but not sad. "We can stay here. It's clean enough. Put I want to look around for a piece of property."

[posterboymarine]

He lifted his head at that. "Property?" That just confused him and his look should have said as much.

[neverwrongagent]

She didn't wonder that she'd surprised him. He was in a barely contained flight mode all the time. He'd had to be. She kissed him lightly. "For the cabin."

Before he could argue, she kept going. "If people see you as something else, something you tell them, they aren't as likely to look for beyond that." She lifted her voice at the end, hinting at a question, but knowing he knew that all too well. "Tell as much of the truth as you can, let others fill in the rest."

She licked her lips. "Your marriage ended, you needed to get away. Starting a new life." All of that was true enough.

[posterboymarine]

He thought about what she said for a long minute, then nodded. "You are brilliant."

[neverwrongagent]

She threw a hand up, laughing lightly. "Finally! Someone recognizes this." She curled closer. "I know you can help build our future. I trust you with that." She needed him to know that.

[posterboymarine]

He had to consider that for even longer. He never expected anyone to trust him again, much less with something so big. "I'll try not to let you down."

[neverwrongagent]

She swallowed hard, then nodded. He'd almost destroyed her trying to protect himself, been willing to do more, but in the end he'd saved her life by doing the one thing he'd been fighting not to do. Once the shock of the explosion had worn off, she'd seen what she needed to see in his eyes, that he was with her.

That was all she needed. "I know you'll do fine." She smiled slightly. "Big porch. Small kitchen."

[posterboymarine]

"Big, deep porch. Small kitchen." He nuzzled at her neck and sighed softly. That would give him something to do.

[neverwrongagent]

She petted his hair gently, fingers running through the longer strands. "And a bedroom big enough for a king sized bed." She kissed his forehead. "Plenty of room for us to get tangled in the sheets together. Plenty of room for breakfast in bed."

[posterboymarine]

He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. "And you'll come out here and live? With me?"

[neverwrongagent]

She kept petting him, giving him the anchor she knew he needed. It might have been hard to picture, but she believed in it. "Better believe it. I'm counting on those breakfasts." She pressed close. "Want to wake up with you. Want to think about all the things we could do in a day, then just stay in bed instead."

[posterboymarine]

Her hopefulness started him crying again, although not nearly as hard as he had been. He'd been hopeless since the moment they'd parted on that road, completely convinced that he was going to just rot away out there.

[neverwrongagent]

She'd made the choice to be his before the explosion and despite being apart, that hadn't changed. Everything she did while they were apart was with the endgame of being together. It was probably a pipe dream, but then it had always been that. She wasn't giving it up just for that.

"And big windows. Huge." She nuzzled at his cheek. "What do you want?"

[posterboymarine]

He sniffled softly. "A skylight. Over the bed. So we can see the stars at night."

[neverwrongagent]

She pulled back so he could see her shining eyes. "Could we? I'd love that. The stars. And rain. We'd be able to see the rain while we--" She swallowed. "While we make love. I like that."