It's Sunday morning and June gingerly makes her way down to the kitchen. She boils the kettle, throwing a spoonful of instant coffee into a mug, and opening the fridge to get out the milk. She opens the bottle, turns it upside down and nothing comes out. At that moment, Jim appears behind her.
"So who put an empty milk bottle back in the fridge?" June grumbled, rolling her eyes at Jim.
"Have it black then."
"Well, I'm entitled to a drink SOMETIMES!" June slammed the fridge door.
"Did I say you wasn't?" Jim rubbed his eyes.
"It gets tiring drinking water, I barely sleep, if it's not the row you make I'm in the loo half the bloody night."
"Well I can't help snoring."
"You could, if you made the effort, there's stuff you can get from the chemist, you could lose a little weight...." June pulled a box of cornflakes from the cupboard, then remembered there's no milk. She sighed loudly, then headed to the fridge for some bread to make toast.
"Are you saying I'm fat?" Jim growled, pouring a black coffee for himself.
"No, I'm saying you're a little overweight. You can hardly deny that."
"You've never complained before..."
"And I'm not complaining now! I'm just saying that it might help with your snoring which would mean that BOTH of us would get a better night's sleep." She stared at the toaster, not wanting to look at him.
"I sleep fine thank you very much. There's no need to take it out on me because you can't hold your drink."
"You can talk." June mumbled.
"What was that?!" Jim spun round.
"Nothing." June seethed, setting her jaw in a firm line.
"Oh no it wasn't." Jim approached her.
"I said, nothing!" June yelled. The toast popped up in front of her, burnt. "Oh, damnit!" She cursed, pulling the smoking bread from the toaster, burning her finger in the process.
"You wouldn't be so defensive if it was nothing... watch out with the toaster, it gets hot dear." Jim sneered.
"Don't... talk to me like I'm stupid." June turned and glared at him.
"Well I'm not the one burning my finger on a slice of toast."
"You're not exactly Brain of Britain, are you?"
"And I must have missed your appearance on University Challenge." Jim spat back.
"I think MY intelligence speaks for itself. Who is the Sergeant here?"
"And there was me thinking that rank didn't come into it at home. Well sorry for breathing Sergeant Ackland. I'm going back to bed." He stomped off towards the kitchen door.
"Yes, RUN AWAY why don't you, god forbid Jim Carver should face UP to anything."
"I came down for a coffee... not world war three. Just what am I accused of running away from?"
"You run away from everything." June went back to the fridge and took out a carton of orange juice. "I remember when you were in uniform first, you went on and on about wanting to be a Sergeant."
"So things change... what's your problem this morning... PMT or just the hangover from hell?!" He carried on walking.
"Oh, that's bloody TYPICAL that is!"
"What is?" Jim sighed.
"Men! If there's something wrong it's always hormones. Never want to face up to the fact there might be a real issue involved."
"So Sun Hill doesn't need to take cover then? Only once a month I do feel the need to get my hard hat out. You going to tell me what the real issue here is?"
"YOU! You're the issue! Are you planning on carrying on plodding through life just the same, never making an effort, never wanting change?"
"Thought it'd be me." Jim sighed returning to the kitchen. "I just want a quiet life... I'm happy as I am - why change it? June it's 11am on a Sunday is there really any need for this?"
"You're turning into Tony Stamp." June mumbled.
"What is your bloody problem?!" Jim shook his head. "And just what sparked this off might I ask?"
"Where's the passion gone, Jim?" She stared straight up at him. "You fought for me for so long, and... where's it gone? Are we going to be like this forever? Just stuck in the same position, bored...."
"Oh so you're bored with me are you? You could have said something rather than start a blazing row."
"Sometimes I have to shout and scream to get things through to you. You walk through life with that innocence... sometimes I adore it but it can be so damn frustrating, you feel like you have to spell everything out letter by letter..."
"So it's all my fault." Jim slammed his mug down onto the table. "Well sorry June but that's who I am..."
"Yeah, go on, throw your toys out of the pram like you always do when you don't get your way."
"I think you're the one doing that June. I'm not the one yelling and bawling over nothing. Look I'm sorry... I made a mistake... I forgot to buy the milk. It's not the end of the world."
"That's not the only thing you've forgotten, lately Jim."
Jim rolled his eyes. "What did I forget?"
"If you don't know then I'm not going to tell you. One of these days you might actually work something out for yourself." June stalked out of the kitchen, down the hall and into the living room.
"Well if you don't tell me how the hell am I supposed to know?" Jim stomped after her.
"I don't know, think about it?" June glared at him. "Like... maybe when you were in CID if you'd actually THOUGHT about getting promoted you might not have been tenured. What happened, Jim, was thinking too taxing for you?"
"And if you're so wonderful why are you only sergeant? Surely you should be running the borough by now Little Miss Wonderful. I was happy as I was..."
"That's why you went into the sulk of the century when they kicked you out. Mr Self-bloody-Pity."
"Looked in the mirror recently June?"
"I don�t pity myself! I get out there and DO things! Get what I want!"
"So why are you standing here yelling at me? If you go out and get what you want go and buy some milk - might cheer you up."
"I'm not the one who forgot, am I."
"I thought we shared things. How wrong was I?" Jim moved to look out of the window.
"We USED to share things. Now we're just plodding along. I'm BORED, Jim." She slumped down into the sofa.
"What's changed June?!" Jim sighed. "Things were fine till you woke up this morning like a bear with a sore head. There's no need to take it all out on me - you're like this every month - though not usually combined with a hangover - I have to creep round the house trying not to upset you..."
"Will you STOP THAT!" June stood up again. "STOP saying this is my hormones!"
"You stop denying it."
"You stop trying to put this all back onto me, like you don't have any faults!"
"We've all got our faults June - not everyone tries to blame them on others though." He turned round to face her.
"You blame your entire life on someone else."
"I DO NOT." Jim fumed.
"What about your drinking? That wasn't your fault, was it, it was the people that tenured you, it was Jack Meadows, it was Tony, it was me, it was EVERYONE except you and your inability to face up to the odd disappointment. You must have been SUCH a spoilt kid."
"DON'T bring my drinking into this... that was different. I suppose YOU'RE perfect."
"At least I can deal with things. You have to grow up, Jim Carver. I'll be damned if I'm going to bring up a whinging little baby for the rest of my life." Her voice cracked, tears began to leak from her eyes.
"And now you're turning on the water works... I'm not falling for it... I'm going back to bed."
"No you're NOT!" June ducked, picked up the glass that she had drunk her juice out of from the coffee table, and hurled it towards the wall just above him. It shattered, sending shards over Jim, over the carpet.
"What the hell was that in aid of?" He carefully brushed glass shards from his skin. "You've really flipped this time. I think you should stay away from the booze June."
"I think YOU should stay away from ME."
"That's the first sensible thing you've said all day. I'll end up in A&E otherwise. I'll be in bed if you calm down." He put this hand on the door handle. "Ever thought about seeing a doctor about this?"
June glared at him. "I hate you."
"The feeling's mutual. I'll go pack if you want..."
"Do what you want." Jim turned and left the room, slamming the door behind him. A moment later, June pulled open the door and ran up the stairs after him.
"What now?" Jim sighed as the bedroom door flew open.
"You're not leaving." June's breath was coming in gasps as she fought against sobs.
"Make you bloody mind up woman. You hate me remember!" He spun round to face her. "You've just tried to kill me. Is throwing crockery a hobby you never told me about?"
"I hardly tried to KILL you! What was it I said about trying to make you LISTEN!" She approached him. "Just listen to me, Jim, please... just tell me..."
"I've been listening to you all morning... done nothing but that in fact if you'd care to think back." He sighed. "What do you want me to tell you?"
"What you haven't told me for at least two weeks." June's chin trembled as she pressed her body against Jim's.
"Is this what I forgot?! Look June I don't know what you're talking about."
"That says it all, doesn't it." June shoved Jim hard in the chest. "That really says it ALL!" She swivelled away from him.
"WHAT?!" Jim yelled. "I'm not psychic."
"Oh, FORGET it! It USED to matter to you!" She turned back, shoved him again. "You'd never stop... what is it Jim, have you become complacent, is that it. Or don't you..."
"WHAT June, for God's sake spit it out." He turned his back on her walking towards the window.
"If you don't love me anymore for god's sake just TELL ME!"
Jim spun round. "What ever gave you that idea you daft old bat. Of course I love you." He chuckled.
"Don't laugh at me� you haven't told me you love me for weeks."
"Is that what this is all about?" He bit his lip trying not to laugh. "I thought we were past that... past needing to reassure each other every five minutes that we weren't going to up and leave. You are silly aren't you?"
"SILLY?!" She glared at him, crossed the room. "I'm SILLY because I need to hear those words from the man that I love..." She moved close to him, punched him in the chest, sobbing. "I'm not silly... I just need to hear it..." She continued to pummel his chest in frustration.
"You're daft, but I love you for it." Jim grinned, slowly moving his hand to her chin and tilting her head up to meet his. "I... love... you... June... Ackland." He looked deep into her eyes, brushing his lips against hers gently. "Can I make it any clearer?"
"Then tell me more often." She glared at him, her chin trembling, her eyes beginning to soften.
"I love you June..." He kissed the tip of her nose, wrapping his arms tightly around her. "Now would you stop pummelling me - it hurts."
"Sorry." She laid her head against his chest. "You're still wrong though, it's not PMT."
"Your hangover?"
"No... it's... mood swings." June rolled her eyes.
"You mean..." Jim furrowed his brow.
"I knew it was coming, thought I could manage, but...."
"We'll get through it... we always do don't we?"
"I suppose. I never held for all this stuff about not feeling like a woman anymore, but it's true... that's why I need to be reassured that I'm still attractive, that you still love me."
"I'll always love you June... you're the only woman for me - believe me." He kissed the top of her head.
"I'm going to see the doctor, get HRT maybe... be covered in patches. Thirty years I've cursed my hormones, now I want them back."
"Oh June..." Jim laughed. "Listen to you... it won't change anything you know."
"Won't it? I feel old." She sighed and sagged against his chest.
"You don't look it. You're the same old June Ackland to me."
"Old..." June giggled against his chest. "You do know how to say the right things... I'm sorry Jim, I didn't mean to say� most of the things I said. I just opened my mouth and rubbish came out."
"Nothing new there then." He ducked away from her laughing.
"You...." She lurched for him, pushing him backward onto the bed. "You take that back!"
"Never..." He giggled. "Just out of curiosity... which bits DID you mean to say?"
"Something about... milk?" June laughed, jumped on the bed and straddled his legs.
"Do you forgive me?" He looked up at her with puppy dog eyes. "I didn't mean to forget..."
"Course I do you fool." She gazed down at him intensely, then bent down and kissed him. "By the way, I love you too... we can get some milk this afternoon, we can pop out somewhere."
"I thought it was urgent... we all know what you're like without your coffee. I'll just have to distract you." He grabbed at her wrists, pulling her down beside him on the bed. "Now how can I do that..."
"Oh, I don't know...." She turned to face him. "I'm sure you'll think of something..."
"You might have to help me out..."
"Mmmm...." June reached forward, unbuckled his belt, then undid the button of his jeans. "Does that give you a hint?"
"Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting... aren't you past all that?" He leant over and kissed her forehead.
"I'll show you past it." June pushed him back onto the bed, jumped up and straddled his legs once more. "I've still got more energy than you..." She fumbled with his zip, pulling his jeans down to his hips.
"Feel free to get all moody on me more often if this is the result." He grinned at her. "Now all this undressing - it's too one sided." He reached up, grabbed the hem of her top and ripped it over her head. "That's better."
She laughed as she looked down at him once more, that look of desire and expectation in his eyes. "Thank you, Jim..." She breathed, as his hands wandered over her breasts.
"There's nothing to thank me for..." He smiled, unhooking her bra and throwing it across the room. "Do you see me complaining?"
"Thank you for loving me, and helping me through this, and understanding." She gasped as his hand slid up her thigh under her skirt. "And for making me feel like a woman."
"You're definitely all woman..." He pushed her skirt up around her waist. "How could you doubt that I love you?"
"I never will again... I promise." She leant down to him, and they kissed, frantically and passionately. They stayed in bed until 4pm, when Jim got up, went out... and bought some milk.
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