Behind Closed Doors

[allibaz91]

Thanks loads Chrisse, Abi and Lil!

Glad this chapter was entertaining at any rate!! Thanks for all the feedback, Chrissie! Rather massive post there!

Shall update over the next couple of days

[Lilone]

Toy police cars wonder how you thought of that

[allibaz91]

^ I wonder

Yes, everyone, just in case we weren't already aware, Lil does help me out a lot with ideas when I get writer's block on this fic! I do mean to put it at the end of the chapter but often i forget, so I'll put a big notice here for you all to see!

[Mrs Bishop]

" toy police cars"! some one,s lost it

[allibaz91]

That would be .... both of us, then?

Update tomorrow, I think

[allibaz91]

Chapter 30

“You know something I’ve never understood?” Peter said thoughtfully as he helped Clare re-pack the cases they had so mercilessly emptied on the floor the night before.

“What’s that?” she asked him, stuffing yet more pairs of shoes in beside the clothes.

“When we got here, I was the patient. I was the one you were meant to be looking after, the one that needed the most care and attention.”

“Yeah, so?” Clare said, sitting on her suitcase to try and close it. It burst open again.

“So, how is it that, in spite of all that, you wound up with the bigger bedroom?!”

She burst out laughing as her suitcase lid popped backwards across the bed.

“I don’t know – you were unconscious?” she suggested. He shook his head. She laughed.

“Okay, because I have more shoes than you do?” she tried. He shook his head again.

“Oh, wait, I know why!” she exclaimed. He raised his eyebrows at her. She grinned cheekily and grabbed him by his shirt collar, wrapping the material around her fingers, and pulled him right up close to her, and kissed him passionately for a few moments. When she let him go, he was literally gasping for breath. She smirked at him.

“Because, I wanted it,” she replied.

“You know, I’m sure you never used to be this much of a tease, Brody.”

“What, you’re going to tell me you don’t love every second of it?” Clare teased him.

“Now I never said that,” replied Peter. She smiled again and let out a cry of triumph when her suitcase finally zipped shut. She then looked over at his. He lifted the top to show her his half-full case, everything neatly packed, and he then zipped it up easily.

“And the reason I couldn’t have put stuff in your suitcase is…?” she demanded.

“You never asked.”

********************************

“Pete, would you put that thing away?!” Clare hissed, looking around her embarrassedly.

“Hey, you’re the one that told me I was to entertain myself,” he retorted. He smirked inwardly at the look on her face. Served her right for treating him like a kid.

“Nee-naw, nee-naw!” he said loudly, causing several people nearby to look up at him. Clare put her head in her hand and groaned loudly as he settled into his seat on the plane, trundling the toy police car up and down his tray-table like a child.

“Okay, you have made your point!” she hissed. “Now would you stop acting like a five-year-old? You’re making a total fool of yourself!”

“You mean I’m making a fool of you?” he suggested, and she sighed and rolled her eyes.

“Hey, mister!” Both Peter and Clare looked around, surprised, and found a group of three little boys – triplets, Peter thought – looking up at him with wide eyes.

“Can we play too?” one of them asked. Peter glanced at Clare, and the instant their eyes met, they both burst out laughing. Peter handed the car to the boys, still laughing.

“Oh, boys! I’m sorry – please, don’t let them get to you,” said the brunette sitting across the aisle. “My boys get a bit hyperactive on long flights. Boys, behave!”

“No trouble, really,” Clare said swiftly. “Please, let them have it! Maybe it’ll help me keep this one under control!”

The brunette laughed merrily and reached over and shook Clare’s hand.

“Hi, I’m Natalie,” she said, smiling. “Sorry about these three – they were warned!”

“No trouble,” Clare replied, while the boys clambered over Peter’s seat, playing with the toy car. “So was he, but, you know how they can be.” Natalie laughed aloud, and Peter rolled his eyes, turning his attention to the three little boys.

“These are my boys,” Natalie explained. “Jason, Paul and Nicholas.”

“Oh, what lovely names!” Clare grinned. “I’m Clare, and this is my … partner, Pete.”

“Nice to meet you,” Peter said, watching as Nicholas got pushed around by his brothers. He inwardly resolved to help the kid for the next however-many-hours.

“You too,” Natalie said, smiling. “So what takes you two all the way over to the UK, then? Business or pleasure? Or maybe a bit of both?”

“Oh, vacationing from the family,” Peter lied easily. “Driving us mad, as ever.”

“Oh, do you two have kids?” she asked, and Clare snorted loudly.

“Yeah, he wishes,” she said jokingly, and Peter threw a peanut at her. “No, he means his family. Evidently, his brother doesn’t like me very much.”

“He likes you, just fine,” he retorted. “He doesn’t like that we’re together – difference.”

“Not a big one.”

“You guys are so lucky,” said Natalie wistfully, and they both looked at her. “What I mean is, just looking at you together, you can tell how much you care for each other.”

“Oh, uh, thanks,” Clare said, whilst Peter just looked at her. He wasn’t sure he entirely trusted this Natalie person. What was her sudden interest in them, anyway?

“Boys, come back over here now,” she said. “I’m going to try and get them to sleep – maybe we can have a proper chat later, yeah?”

“But mummy, look at the car!” little Nicholas said sadly. Peter grinned.

“You can have that one,” he said, ruffling the kid’s hair. “I mean, if your mum doesn’t mind, that is.”

Natalie looked pleasantly surprised, and smiled broadly at Peter.

“That’s so nice of you,” she said. “Thank you, very much! I don’t know what to say.”

“It’s not a problem,” he said, and watched as she settled the boys down in their chairs. He leant over and muttered in what he hoped was a subtle manner in Clare’s ear.

“So what do you reckon her problem is, then?” he whispered.

“What do you mean?” she asked, looking at him. “She seems lovely!”

“She seems suspicious,” he replied, watching Natalie shrewdly. “There’s just something about her I don’t like, but I can’t quite put my finger on it yet.”

“Maybe you’re just picking up on the fact she was giving you the eye,” Clare teased.

“Oh, look who’s a comedienne all of a sudden! Come on, be serious.”

“Don’t be so suspicious all the time – it’s not good for you! Relax a little.”

“I’m a cop, Clare, it’s my job to be suspicious,” he reminded her.

“Well, you’re not a cop this week,” she replied. “But just in case Natalie over there has in fact been giving you the eyes …”

She turned his face towards her and kissed him lovingly for several moments.

“Now no more worrying, okay?” she said insistently. “We’re on holiday. And it’s going to be amazing, because nobody knows we’re here. No distractions.”

“Surely what you just did counts as a major distraction?” Peter joked.

“Well, okay – only certain types of distractions, then!” Clare laughed. “Okay?”

“You’re right,” he admitted, and kissed her again. “I’m sorry. I love you …”

“I love you too,” she grinned, and then she leaned forward to get the in-flight magazine from the pouch in the chair in front of her. Peter saw, from the corner of his eyes, Natalie shooting not so surreptitious glances his way. He didn’t care what Clare said – that woman was up to something. And he would find out what, too …

Enjoy!

[Lilone]

LOL!

The toy cars, Go Pete.... loved that bit.

Wonder wat natilie is up to

UPdate soon

[allibaz91]

Lol you'll have to wait and see

Thanks loads Lil!

[Mrs Bishop]

great chapter alli up date soon please

[swfc]

I said it before and I say it again, I will never look at Peter Baker the same way again. The whole toy police car incident cracked me up so much. He's such a little boy at times. Poor Clare

Natalie... Never liked the name... Talk about correct name for a character like that.

I really must wonder dear ole Pete has such a fondness for lil Nicholas.

That was a really lighthearted chapter, Ali. Really great. Update soon.