June wobbled slightly as she crossed the tarmac; she wasn�t wearing particularly high heels so she chose to believe it was the winter chill in the air that had caused her little slip. Jim�s hand caught hold of her shoulder, leaning in close to her ear so none of the others could hear. �Too many glasses of wine?� He held her arm all the way to the car, guiding her securely to her side so she could prop up against it while he moved round to his side.
�Sure you don�t mind giving us a lift mate?�
�Course not, it�s not exactly out of our way is it June?�
She smiled and slipped down into the car, glad to be sat down for a while.
Tony climbed in the back, along with Nick and a rather tipsy Sergeant Boyden.
�Shove up Matt, give us room to breathe.� Tony cursed pushing him into the middle. Nick was behind Jim, almost pushed into the car against his will, but there nevertheless. Jim watched him in the mirror as he waited for the ice to defrost on the windscreen. His head dropped to one side, pressed against the glass with his eyes closed. Jim glanced at June, her eyes already beginning to close � better make a move before she fell to sleep and woke up with a painful neck.
* *
Jim made coffee, real coffee too not the plastic kind. The aroma filled the kitchen, flowed upstairs and shook June as she stared at herself in the bathroom mirror. She washed her face and returned downstairs, still in her now slightly crumpled party clothes with the addition of a cardigan to keep her warm, it was getting frosty out. Jim was sat at the kitchen table, his favourite spot by the window looking out over the lawn.
�What are you looking at?� She sat across from him, wrapping her hands around her mug.
�Toto, playing under the bloody security light again, I�m sure he does it on purpose.�
She sipped her drink. �Most probably.�
Jim turned his attention to her. �Feeling better?�
�What does that mean?� She asked innocently.
�I noticed you struggling to walk straight, and you were almost asleep in the car.�
�I did a lot of dancing.�
�Hmm�� He smiled.
�I was!� She demanded. �And my feet hurt to prove it.�
�Oh give them here.� He put his mug down and lifted her feet up into his lap, �Now let�s get you to shut up.�
�We�ll see�� She closed her eyes and tilted her head back. �Ahh this is the life � being spoilt.�
�You get spoilt too often these days.�
She opened her eyes again and glanced across the table. �I see you brought those home.�
�The bouquet � of course, you did catch it.�
�Not exactly made difficult for me was it! Throw it away.�
�No, somebody paid good money for that, shame to put it in the rubbish.�
�Then give it back to Kerry � a memory from the day. I have no use for it do I.�
�So no sudden urges to go out and buy big meringue type gowns.�
She leant forward, squashing her legs up on his lap. �You know how I feel about it, we already discussed it.�
�I know we did, just wondered.�
�I won�t ever wear a meringue style dress in my life!�
�I know.�
�It would be too soon � don�t you think so, after all we haven�t been together that long, we�ve just known each other for a long time.�
�I know, you don�t have to convince me.�
�That doesn�t mean to say I�m against marriage � if the right person asked.� She kissed him lightly before leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes again.
�A strange year 2002, mixed up.�
�Regretting what you got yourself into already?�
�No.� He squeezed her ankle. �Just thinking on it, how different life was this time last year, lonely.�
�And every year before.� She reached for her mug and the cardigan slipped off her shoulder revealing her smooth skin.
�May I say how damn good you were looking this evening Ms Ackland?�
�That�s Sergeant Ackland to you young man.�
He laughed and lifted her feet up again, getting up from his chair then placing them back down on the cushion. �Thank you.� She smiled.
�Feeling better now � head clearer?�
�Getting there.�
�Good.� He began to clear away the coffee pot and tidy the kitchen. Then he let Toto back in and fed him, locking the back door and pulling the blind down.
�You�re becoming a real house husband you know.�
�Handy to have around� you ready for bed?�
�Handy and bed in the same sentence, what should I think about that?�
He shook his head. �The way your mind works�come on I�m getting weary now.�
�Oh ok, I�m up look, you haven�t washed my mug though, that won�t do.� She deposited it in the sink, moved close to him and lifted the hair from his forehead, always so soft and fine between her fingers. �You wanna keep the flowers?�
He shrugged. �I thought we should, part of the tradition.�
�With me it will probably turn out to be a curse.�
�No, it won�t.� Now he kissed her, his hand returning to the shoulder he�d seen a minute before, slipping the cardigan down so he could kiss the bare flesh. �You always smell so good.� He mumbled against her collarbone.
�Time for bed I feel.� She pulled out of his arms, smiling warmly as she squeezed his hand.
June passed by the lounge nipping in to kiss Toto and draw the curtains. Jim was already in bed when she got up there.
�It�s snowing.� She said as she got undressed.
�It is � great!�
�It�s not great, it will be hell.�
�It�s Saturday tomorrow, what does it matter?�
�I wanted to do some shopping.�
�You didn�t get enough from Santa?�
�Very funny.� She pulled a T-Shirt on and shivering climbed into bed next to him, switching the lamp off and settling down beside him.
�I will never understand the need to rush out immediately after Christmas to buy even more things.� He moved his arm so she could rest against him. �Seems a waste of time to me.�
�You�ll see, when I come home tomorrow with some new shirts for you.�
�I need new shirts?� He twisted his head to look down at her.
�You always need new shirts.�
�There was a time I chose them myself...� He complained.
��and those days are gone.� She finished off for him. �Now stop talking, I thought you were tired.�
�I am.�
They were silent for a few minutes, June easily slipping into a peaceful sleep, but Jim was fidgeting beside her. She lifted herself up from his arm and turned onto her side, the bed was warming up now and her feet had finally begun to feel almost human again. She breathed deeply, contented as she buried her face in the pillow.
�We should go away.�
Silence � so he nudged her back.
�June, I said we should go away.�
�I�m sleeping.� She mumbled.
�No your not, you�re talking.�
�That�s because you�re bloody talking!� She snapped, then lifted her head up and looked over her shoulder at him. �Where?�
�What?�
�Go away where?�
He shrugged. �Somewhere hot, just an idea, doesn�t matter.� He lay back down.
�Don�t you do that now, you woke me up.� She twisted herself round and rested on an elbow to look down at him. �Why do you want to go away?�
�Get away from it all, from work, not really the most pleasant place to be at the moment.�
�I know.� She lie back down next to him. �Is that why you went all quiet?�
�When?�
�At the party?�
�I wasn�t, I was dancing, I thought we had fun.�
�We did, we were, then you disappeared to the bathroom and when you came back you had his look of thunder on your face.�
Jim shifted uncomfortably next to her. �It was nothing.�
�You think I don�t know when you�re lying now.� It was an admonishment but he could tell she was smiling as she said it.
�Alright, I saw something, something I wish to god I hadn�t seen but there you go.�
�You saw what?�
�I can�t tell you.�
�Oh?� Now she looked up at him, hoping to work it out from the look on his face.
�I want to try and sort it out, my way. I will tell you, just not right now.�
�Ok. You won�t let it upset you too much though I hope, I trust it doesn�t involve you.�
�Not personally no, but I feel like, well I feel personally involved, like I owe it to try and help.�
She smiled warmly; he could even see the sparkle in her eyes as she bent down to kiss him. �That�s because you�re a good man.�
�Not always.�
�Always.� She kissed him again. �And that�s why I�m this happy and couldn�t stop smiling tonight � despite the unhappiness of the last few weeks. I still have you.�
�And for some strange reason that matters now.�
�It always mattered, now it just matters more.�
�I love you June, you know that don�t you, I don�t think I�ve said it in so long.�
�You don�t need to, I know. Now are you going to let me sleep?�
His arms were suddenly tight round her, resting on her hips. �Well I don�t know, I could have other ideas on my mind.�
�Could you possibly save them until morning, when I�m feeling a little more � well active.�
�Is that where we are now, too tired to make love in the evening and having to make do with Saturday mornings?�
She slapped his arm and moved on top of him. �Yes, that�s where we are now, it�s called being in a relationship.�
�Ah so that�s what this feeling is, had forgotten it existed.�
�Very funny, and I�d better not hear you complaining about when we make love ever again.�
�Dear June, what�s wrong with you, panty girdle too tight again.� He grinned as her hands moved around his throat. �Ahhh stop it I�m sorry, was only joking.�
�You will have to beg for forgiveness now.�
He grabbed her wrists and manoeuvred onto her back so he could hold her in position as he tickled her waist. �Who�s going to have to beg now?�
�Never, I won�t beg you for anything.� She managed to say between laughing.
�You won�t?� He brought his face down level with hers.
�No, never.� Her fingers reached up and stroked down his face, his neck, across his chest to the waistband of his trousers and reached inside. He rested his forehead against hers as he groaned out her name.
�So you�re going to make me beg instead then.� He whispered as her hand teased him.
Her voice was deep and husky as she pushed her hips up to him and one of her legs wrapped around his. �Well technically, if you look at the clock, it�s already morning.�
He opened his eyes and smiled down at her, the warmth and softness of her thigh drawing him even closer to her body. �And that is why I love you � wicked woman.�